You Might Belong in Hufflepuff
by SageTelgar
Summary: All 11-year-old Maisie Wood wants is to follow in her brother's footsteps and play Quidditch for Gryffindor...but she's Sorted into Hufflepuff. Undaunted, Maisie makes a name for herself with her childhood best friend, Lee Jordan, and friends from both their houses. Goes through Harry's 1st year. Sequel "Just and Loyal" complete, "Hufflepuffs Are True" in progress.
1. Prologue: July 17, 1989

_July 17, 1989_

Maisie spotted the Snitch only moments after her brother, but her dive was steeper and faster, and she snatched it out of the air inches from Oliver's grasping fingers.

"Oi!" Oliver pulled his broom up sharply to keep from crashing into the ground. "Watch it!"

Maisie laughed, waving the captive Snitch triumphantly. "You have to be faster than that, Ollie!"

"You got me there," Oliver conceded. "Put that away, will you? I want to practice penalty shots."

Oliver would be returning to Hogwarts for his third year at the end of the summer, and he was anxious to do well at Quidditch tryouts. A Keeper by trade, he insisted on practicing for all four positions with his younger sister "just in case." Maisie thought Ollie would be a shoo-in for Keeper; he'd been the reserve the year before, and the Gryffindor Keeper had been a seventh year. The position was vacant, and it was Oliver's to take.

Maisie carefully cupped the struggling Snitch against her body as she unlocked the box holding the family's Quidditch balls. She'd spent hours chasing this particular Snitch, and it was growing old and tired. Perhaps Mum would buy her a new one for Christmas, but Snitches were expensive. They were lucky to have the balls that they did.

The Bludgers strained against their bonds when Maisie opened the lid. She grinned and waved cheekily at them. "Hello, kids." She and Oliver had named the Bludgers after each other, and it was not uncommon to find a Wood sibling in the garden beating the other's namesake with a wooden bat.

As Maisie gently slipped the Snitch back into its space, her mother opened the back door, grinning from ear to ear. In one hand she dangled a thick envelope with a distinct seal.

"Look what just arrived by owl, Maisie."

Maisie squealed, which startled the Snitch and Bludgers. The box rattled. She slammed the lid shut and -locked it securely. "Oh, Mum, is it really? Give me!"

Oliver landed his broom and jogged across the lawn. "Is that it, Mum?"

"I don't know why you're both so excited," said Mum, laughing. "It isn't as if there were a question of Maisie's acceptance-!"

"Still!" Maisie reverently broke the seal and unfolded the letter, which was written in emerald green ink.

"'Dear Ms. Wood,'" Maisie read aloud, "'we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed' and blah blah blah. Oh, Mum! It's really happening!"

"I told you it would," said Mum gently. She engulfed Maisie in a hug. "We're very proud. I have a day off from work next week; why don't we go to Diagon Alley then?"

Maisie grinned. "That sounds amazing!"


	2. Year 1: September 1, 1989

_September 1, 1989_

Oliver and Dad hoisted Maisie's trunk into the train. Maisie and Mum stood back, each holding a pet: Mum held the cage of Oliver's owl, Wadcock, and Maisie clutched her cat, Joscelind, against her chest. Joscelind did not appreciate being so handled, but Maisie was reluctant to put her in the carrier yet.

"That does it!" said Dad, wiping his brow. "What do you have in there, Mouse, books?"

Maisie scowled. "Don't call me that!" Sometimes her family called her Mouse because she was so small; she didn't even come up to Oliver's shoulder. "And of _course_ I have books, Dad. I'm _going_ to _school._ " She rolled her eyes.

Oliver laughed and ruffled her hair. "Somebody as cheeky as you is bound to wind up in Gryffindor."

"Who says I want to be in Gryffindor?" said Maisie. "Bunch of big show-offs."

"Can't really argue with that," said Oliver with a comical shrug.

The train whistle blew.

"Oh, that's it!" Mum bit her lip. "Time to go. Ollie, you have the lunches? And there's a few Sickles in there for each of you, for the candy cart."

"Thanks, Mum!" Oliver hugged his mother and kissed her cheek. "I'll write you as soon as we're settled and tell you about the Mouse's Sorting!"

Maisie scowled again.

"We'll be proud of you wherever you end up, Maisie," said Mum bracingly.

"Watch out for Slytherin, though," said Dad with a wink. "Snakes eat mice!"

Maisie huffed, but submitted to hugs and kisses from both parents before boarding the train. She slid Joscelind into her cat carrier and securely latched the door. Carrying the pets, she followed Oliver down the aisle of the train until they reached an empty compartment.

"Stay here," said Oliver. "I'm going to find some of my mates, and we'll come back here, yeah? Hold down the fort for us?"

"Sure," said Maisie. Where else was she going to go? She wondered where Lee Jordan was. He was their neighbor, and the only other person Maisie knew starting Hogwarts that year.

Oliver disappeared, and Maisie sat alone in the compartment. She opened both cages and let the pets roam freely. Joscelind put both paws on the windowsill and peered out. Maisie did the same, and saw her parents standing on the platform. When they spotted her, they both waved frantically. Maisie waved back, smiling. She'd miss them. They were nice. She blinked back sudden tears.

"I won't cry," she said firmly. "There's no reason to cry. I'll see them again. And I'm going to Hogwarts!"

"What a coincidence," said an unfamiliar voice. "So are we."

Maisie whirled around. The door to the compartment was open. Two boys her age stood in the opening: identical twins with flaming red hair. Their faces were heavily freckled. One wore a blue jumper, the other a rusty brown jumper, both obviously hand-knitted. The one in the brown jumper had a smudge of dirt on his nose.

"Well, of course," said Maisie loftily, trying to hide her embarrassment at being caught crying. "If you're not going to Hogwarts, you're on the wrong train!"

The twins looked at each other, eyes wide.

"Gosh, Fred," said the blue-jumpered one, "you don't suppose we're on the wrong train, are you?"

"I don't know, George," said the brown-jumpered twin. "Was it platform nine and three-quarters, or platform nine and three-eighths?"

Maisie giggled. "Nine and three-eighths is the train to the Dungbomb factory. Everybody knows that."

"Dungbombs, eh?" The brown-jumpered twin-Fred?-raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't mind a trip there myself. Mum wouldn't let us bring any Dungbombs on the train."

"Crying shame, that," said the other twin. "We'd've liked to take some Slytherins down a peg or two." He eyed Maisie suspiciously. "You wouldn't happen to be a Slytherin, would you?"

Maisie shrugged. "I might be. I'm a first-year."

"So are we," said the twin in the brown jumper, "but we're almost sure to be in Gryffindor. Our whole family's in Gryffindor: mum, dad, and all our older brothers."

"My older brother's in Gryffindor, too," said Maisie. "Oliver Wood?"

The twins perked up.

"He's on the Qudditch team!" said the twin in the blue jumper. "So's our brother Charlie!"

"Your brother's Charlie Weasley?" said Maisie. "Oliver says he's a bloody good Seeker. He could go professional."

"We think so," said the twin in the brown jumper, "but Charlie has other interests."

"Dragons, for example."

Maisie gasped. "Oh, I've always wanted to see a dragon!"

"Yeah?" The twins eyed her appraisingly.

"You're not scared?" said the twin in the brown jumper.

"Well, of course, but that's half the fun, isn't it?" said Maisie.

The twins grinned. They traded a brief glance, and seemed to come to an agreement about something. The twin in the brown jumper stuck out his hand.

"I'm Fred Weasley," he said, "and this is my brother, George."

"Charmed, I'm sure," said George.

Maisie took Fred's hand and shook it firmly. "Maisie Wood."

"May we sit?" said George.

"Sure! Close the door behind you," said Maisie. "I'll catch it from my brother if Wadcock gets out."

"Wadcock, eh?" said Fred as he sat down. "After the Puddlemere United Chaser?"

"Yes. And my cat's Joscelind."

"Very nice," said George. "Our baby brother likes the Chudley Cannons. Obviously he has rubbish judgment."

"Obviously," said Maisie.

When Oliver returned a half-hour later with two of his friends, Maisie and the twins were playing Exploding Snap. Joscelind, terrified by the noise, was cowering in her carrier, while Wadcock was perched on the highest luggage rack staring down his beak in disdain.

"What's this, then?" said Oliver, laughing.

"Ollie, this is Fred and George Weasley," said Maisie.

"Oh, Charlie's brothers? I've heard a lot about the two of you," said Oliver.

"All good, I'm sure," said Fred.

"Definitely," said Oliver. "Your affinity for trouble is astounding."

"Oh, great!" One of Oliver's friends rolled his eyes. "More Weasleys!"

"Relax, Ford," said Oliver. "They won't be able to play until next year."

"You play Quidditch?" said Fred with interest.

"I'm a Chaser for Hufflepuff," said Ford. "I've even scored on Wood a couple of times."

"I find that hard to believe," said Maisie boldly.

Ford laughed. "Is this your sister, Oliver? Hope she's not planning to try out for Quidditch; get up a good headwind and she'll blow right off her broom!"

Maisie bristled, but Oliver said, "She's faster than me, Archie. Catches the Snitch more than I do."

The twins glanced at each other, then gave Maisie identical thumbs-up.

"Maisie, you remember my friend Ben," said Oliver, indicating the other boy.

"Yes. Hello," said Maisie. Ben had spent last Easter holidays with their family.

"Hello," said Ben.

"Care to deal us in?" said Archie, sliding into the seat next to Fred.

"Sure thing." Fred gathered up the cards and shuffled them by hand. Maisie had already discovered that the twins had an affinity for what they called "close up magic," which was a popular Muggle pastime that involved sleight-of-hand and misdirection. George had pulled a Knut out of her ear.

The rest of the train ride passed pleasantly. Charlie Weasley did indeed stop by, though he couldn't stay long; as a prefect, he was required to patrol the train and prevent trouble.

"Confiscated some Dungbombs from a couple of Slytherins," said Charlie. Without a word, he lobbed a bulky sack at Fred, who caught it easily. "Haven't reported it."

Fred and George grinned. "Thanks, Charlie!" they said in unison.

"You know it's creepy when you do that, don't you?" said Maisie.

"Of course." They gave her identical eerie grins. "That's why we do it."

When the candy trolley passed them, Oliver treated everyone to Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans using the Sickles Mum had given him. Maisie opened a Newt Scamander card and a Godric Gryffindor, which she traded for George's Rowena Ravenclaw. Fred bit the head off a Chocolate Frog, and they watched it hop blindly around the compartment for a few minutes before he put it out of its misery. Maisie laughed until her sides ached.

Darkness fell, and Charlie stopped by again to say that they should all change into their robes. He showed Maisie where the girl's toilet was, so she could change in privacy. When she returned to the compartment, the boys were all robed, and Joscelind and Wadcock had been returned to their cages.

"Now remember," said Oliver, "when you get off the train-"

"Look for the giant, and he'll take us to the boats." Maisie rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to get lost, Ollie."

"Just making sure. I'll take the cat. She won't like where you're going."

With that slightly ominous warning, Maisie and the twins stepped off the train into a light rain. The platform was crammed with black-robed students. Most of them were making for the line of horseless carriages gleaming in the wet twilight, but the other first-years milled around in confusion.

"Lee!" Maisie spotted her friend and waved. Lee Jordan ducked through the crowd and stood next to her. Water dripped from the ends of his dreadlocks.

"Hi, Maisie!" Lee grinned. "Sorry I missed you on the train."

"It's no problem," said Maisie. "It's a big train. Lee Jordan, this is Fred and George Weasley. They're first-years, too."

"Excellent!" said Lee. "Nice to meet you both. I'll figure out which is which, I'm sure."

"I'm George," said Fred.

"No, he's not," said Maisie.

A loud bass voice cut through the mayhem: "Firs' years over here! Firs' years with me!"

"That's Hagrid!" said Fred. "Let's go!" He grabbed Maisie's wrist and pulled her away. Maisie grabbed blindly behind her and managed to seize George's hand, who grabbed Lee's. As a chain, they made their way through the crowd.

Hagrid was, as advertised, gigantic. He was surrounded by a clump of first years, giving him the impression of a hen sitting on her eggs. When he saw Fred and George's red hair, he grinned and said:

"More Weasleys! Jus' what the doctor ordered!"

"Getting a bit tired of hearing that," Fred muttered.

"Stick close to me," Hagrid said. "Dock's just down here. No more than four to a boat, and avoid puttin' your hands in the water. Giant squid likes to grab kids sometimes."

"Four to a boat," said George. "Shall we?"

They clambered aboard one of the small boats tied at the dock. When all the first years were aboard, the ropes untied themselves, slithering back into the boats and coiling neatly, and the boats pulled away as if propelled.

Despite Hagrid's warnings, Maisie couldn't resist reaching over the side of the boat to touch the water. It was icy-cold and pitch-black. Maisie shrieked and pulled her hand back.

"What? What is it?" The boys crowded around her.

"I thought I felt the giant squid!" said Maisie.

"Really?" All three peered eagerly over the edge of the boat. Maisie stood behind them and gave each a whack on the back—not hard enough to push them overboard, but enough to scare them.

To her deep gratification, all three boys yelled. Lee almost did fall into the water, but Fred and George pulled him back. All three rounded on Maisie, who was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

"Why you-you," Fred sputtered.

"Tricky little minx!" George chortled.

"I-got-you-" Maisie said, gasping for air. "You should've seen-your faces-"

"I reckon Lee screamed like a girl," said Fred.

"Did not!" said Lee, his voice rising in pitch. "That was you, Fred!"

"All righ' over there?" Hagrid's voice boomed across the water.

"Fine, thanks!" Maisie shouted. "The boys got scared of the squid!"

"Did not!" they yelled.

The other first years laughed. The sound made Maisie feel warm despite the chill in the air.

"Wouldn't matter if we fell in, though," George said. "Reckon I'm soaked anyway, with this rain."

Hogwarts castle was somewhere in front of them, but Maisie could hardly see it in the fog. She only got an impression of size, and a few glowing windows were visible. Minutes later, their boats bumped the dock on the other side, and the shivering first-years scrambled out of their boats and followed Hagrid up the stairs as fast as their short, numb legs would carry them.

The front door of the castle was everything Maisie thought a castle door should be: wide and imposing, tall and iron-studded. Hagrid knocked on the door with an immense fist, and it made an impressive sound.

The door swung open, and a tall, thin witch in bottle-green robes stepped out.

"Thank you, Hagrid," she said. "I'll take them from here."

Hagrid nodded respectfully. "Good luck, you lot!"

"Inside, please, quickly," said the witch. "You all look frozen. Quickly! This way, please. Don't worry about dripping on the rug. Stick together, now. All the way in, please!" The door shut behind them with a loud thud.

"Hold still, and I will dry you off." The witch waved her wand in a complicated serious of flips and twists, and said, " _Evaporatis_." A fine mist rose from everyone's clothes and dissipated into the air, leaving them mostly dry. The first years exchanged impressed glances.

We'll be able to do that someday! Maisie thought.

The witch nodded briskly. "Right. Heaven forbid any of you should spend your first week at Hogwarts abed with a chill. I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House. In a few short minutes, you will enter the Great Hall through those doors, and you will be Sorted into your Houses. There are four: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. During your time at Hogwarts, your House will be like your family. You will live in House dormitories and attend classes with your housemates. The Houses compete annually in the House Cup, points for which can be awarded or deducted based on accomplishments or misbehavior.

"I think that is all. If you'll follow me, please, two by two."

As she stalked away, the first years hurriedly sorted themselves into lines and followed. Maisie walked next to Lee and immediately behind the twins.

The door to the Great Hall opened magically, and the first years gasped as one. It wasn't the size of the hall that impressed them, nor the four long tables running down the center, the crowd of students at those tables, the glittering dishes, nor the size of the fireplaces. It was the ceiling overhead that caught their attention, because it reflected the sky outside—though considerably less cloudy.

"Wow," said Lee. "Wonder how they did that?"

"Dunno," said Maisie, resolving to find out.

At the front of the room, on a raised dais that put their heads well above the students', sat Hogwarts's professors. Maisie recognized Albus Dumbledore from his Chocolate Frog card. Immediately in front of the teachers, on an innocuous stool, sat a battered-looking pointed hat.

Professor McGonagall ushered the first years into a semi-circle around the hand and produced a scroll from inside her robes. "When I call your name, step up to the stool and put on the Sorting Hat," she said.

"That's it?" said Maisie. "Put on a hat?"

"Evidently," said Lee with a shrug.

"Charlie never said!" said Fred indignantly. "I always thought it was some kind of test."

"That git," George muttered.

There was no further time to comment, for McGonagall called the first name: "Bailey, Philippa!"

A girl even smaller than Maisie, with a mass of blond ringlets, stepped timidly to the stool. She placed the Hat on her head, and it immediately slipped down over her ears.

The Hall was silent. Maisie could sense the entire school's anticipation.

After only a minute or two, the hat spoke. A tear near the brim opened up, and a deep, gravelly voice proclaimed: "Hufflepuff!"

One of the tables erupted into cheers as tiny Philippa Bailey removed the Hat and went to join them, smiling from ear to ear.

The next girl, Deirdre Barry, was put into Ravenclaw. They wouldn't get to Wood, Margaret for a while. Maisie relaxed slightly; at least she wouldn't have to take a test in front of the entire school.

When Lee's name was called, he started. Maisie nudged him. "Go on!" she said.

Lee's Sorting was very quick; the Hat put him in Gryffindor. The twins clapped especially loudly.

The group of first-years dwindled. At last it was only Maisie and the twins. Fred was Sorted into Gryffindor, and George followed. Then it was Maisie's turn. She was glad; she hated being the only one for everyone to stare at.

Maisie sat straight on the stool and settled the Hat firmly on her head. After a moment, the gravelly voice spoke-not aloud, but in her head.

"I remember your brother, and both of your parents…Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, both good Houses, though of course there's no such thing as a _bad_ house at Hogwarts You could do well in either of those…but there's something else here, hmm, hmm…you're _fierce,_ aren't you? Fierce in your loves, fierce in your hates…loyalty, that's there, and a sense of justice, quite admirable, yes…hmmm…I think it had better be HUFFLEPUFF!"

The last word was shouted aloud to the Hall. The Hufflepuff table cheered and clapped.

Professor McGonagall removed the hat from Maisie's head. "Go take a seat, please, Ms. Wood."

Maisie hurried off the platform, almost tripping in her haste, and joined the other first-year Hufflepuffs at their table.

When the cheering for all first-years subsided, Dumbledore stepped up to the podium and raised his hands for silence. The Hall quieted immediately.

"Welcome, old friends and new!" said Dumbledore. "There is a time for long speeches, but this is not it. I suspect you are all hungrier than I am. Tuck in!"

The moment he finished speaking, the food appeared on the tables. Maisie gaped at the variety: pies, roasts, trifles, puddings, biscuits, and a number of drinks. She tucked in with gusto.


	3. Year 1: October 31, 1989

_October 31, 1989_

In the weeks that followed, Maisie fell in love with Hogwarts and resolved to make the most of her time there. Much to Oliver's dismay, that involved the occasional bending or breaking of school rules. Maisie found that Lee and the Weasley twins shared her thirst for adventure, and the four of them often landed in detention together.

Every class at Hogwarts was fascinating; Maisie especially liked Charms and Potions, even though Professor Snape was mean to everyone who wasn't a Slytherin. The Hufflepuffs all loved Herbology, which was taught by Professor Sprout, their Head of House. The contents of the greenhouse spilled over into the Hufflepuff common room, which was cozy, well-lit, and comfortable. Maisie spent long hours there revising or playing games with her fellow first-years. Joscelind had free roam of the common room, and soon became a favorite among the other Hufflepuffs-once a number of allergy potions had been obtained from Madam Pomfrey.

There were ten Hufflepuff first years: five girls and five boys. Maisie was closest with Bryony Griffiths, who shared her love of Quidditch, and Pippa Bailey, who had a smart mouth and liked to roam the corridors at night with Maisie and the Gryffindor boys. Evie Collins and Patricia Stimpson liked to sit in the common room and play games, but they preferred to stay on the right side of the law. Of the boys, Maisie got on best with Owen Powell and Jimmy Graham, who were avid Quidditch fans and laughed at the twins' antics in Herbology. Jasper Murray was thin and quiet, but he proved himself to be a rabid chess player. He taught Maisie and the others, and they spent many pleasant evenings challenging each other (Jasper always won, of course). Maisie didn't care for Angus Stewart, because he didn't seem to have a sense of humor, but Isaac Reynolds could do wicked impressions of the professors that earned him detentions and lost Hufflepuff house points.

Oliver's friends from the train, Archie Ford and Ben Chapman, were both Hufflepuffs, and said hello to Maisie now and then. Ford was on the Quidditch team, and he patiently answered the first years' avid questions about the sport (Maisie suspected he liked the attention). Ben was much quieter, but he was very clever, and helped Maisie with her Transfiguration homework if he had a spare minute. Maisie wondered if Oliver had asked them to keep an eye on her.

The week of Halloween was a spectacle: jack-o-lanterns floated in the Great Hall, and the ghosts were in top form. The Hufflepuff ghost, the Fat Friar, was friendly and pleasant, but Maisie thought the other ghosts were scary. Nearly Headless Nick was prone to pulling his head partway off to amuse the other students, but the sight made Maisie feel ill.

On Halloween, the twins and Lee approached the Hufflepuff table during breakfast.

"Hello, you lot." Fred plopped himself comfortably on the bench next to Maisie and reached for a piece of toast. "Having a good week?"

"All right," said Maisie.

"We got our test scores back, for the first Charms exam," said Bryony. "How'd you do?"

"Exceeds Expectations," said the twins in unison.

"Well done!" said Pippa. "Maisie got an Outstanding."

"Pippa! You don't need to tell them that!" said Maisie.

"Why not? It's our first exam, and you got the best grade of all the first-years! Professor Flitwick said so! You even out-scored that snobby Ruby Andrews from Ravenclaw," said Pippa.

"Ruby Andrews," said George thoughtfully. "Why does that name ring a bell?"

Lee snorted. "Fred dropped a Dungbomb on her head during Charms."

"I was _practicing_!" said Fred with dignity. " _Wingardium Leviosa!_ " Even though nobody had their wand out, Maisie's plate rose about an inch off the table.

"We practiced that charm with feathers," said Bryony.

"I was done with my feather," said Fred.

"Flew it out the window, he means," George interjected.

"So I thought I'd test my skill on something larger."

Lee, who had been trying to contain himself, burst out laughing. "You should have seen her face!"

Maisie, Bryony, and Pippa laughed. Owen, sitting only a few feet away, demanded to know what the joke was. When they told him, he laughed until milk came out of his nose, which caused more laughter.

Catriona Tallis, one of the Hufflepuff prefects, marched down the table. "This is too much ruckus for this early in the morning! Gryffindors, back to your own table, please!"

"Meet us after Herbology," Fred murmured in Maisie's ear.

Gryffindor and Hufflepuff took Herbology together. The day's lecture was on the healing properties of dittany. Maisie sat with Bryony and Pippa and took notes at a furious rate. Maisie had a vague idea of becoming a Healer when she left school, but that was still years away; not worth thinking about.

Fred and George appeared on either side of Maisie at the end of the lesson and steered her off to the side. "Happy Halloween," said Fred quietly.

"Same to you," said Maisie in a similar conspiratorial tone. "What's up?"

"Fancy a walk round the halls tonight?" said Fred. "A ghost tour, if you will?"

Maisie wasn't sure she fancied such a walk, but Pippa and Bryony had overheard.

"Ooh, let's! I haven't been around at night yet," said Bryony eagerly.

"That's because you sleep like a log!" said Pippa.

Fred looked reluctant. "I dunno…we'll have to be sneaky, and quiet."

"We can be quiet!" said Pippa.

George raised an eyebrow.

"All right, I see your point, but if we're sneaking around at night I really can be quiet, I swear!"

"All right," said George.

"But just the six of us, yeah?" said Fred. "Keep it between us. Too many people and we'll be caught."

"Agreed," said Maisie. "When shall we meet? And where?"

"How about eleven o'clock," said Fred.

"By the statue of Wilfred the Wistful, on the third floor," said George.

"Bring your wands," said Fred.

"Why?" said Bryony.

"Just in case." Fred winked at her.

At the appointed time, the three Hufflepuff girls, clad in pajamas and dressing gowns, slipped out of the Hufflepuff common room. They reached the entrance hall without incident and approached the main staircase.

"Hsst!" Bryony put her hand on Maisie's arm. "What was that?"

"Just the wind, Bry," said Pippa quietly.

"No, I think it was-it's Filch! Hide!" said Maisie.

They each ducked behind a suit of armor as Hogwarts's caretaker clumped by, brandishing a lantern and muttering to himself: "Students in the halls, they wouldn't dare, Halloween...they love Halloween, think it's a laugh, a good time for tricks and trouble…"

When his voice faded, the girls reconvened at the foot of the stairs.

"He turned right at the top," Pippa whispered. "If we go left, we can take the west staircase up to the third floor."

Pippa was the best at finding her way through Hogwarts, despite its confusing passages and moving stairwells. They did as she suggested and beat the boys to the third-floor statue by a good five minutes.

"Sorry we're late," said Fred when they were all clustered together behind the statue. "Filch was patrolling the fifth-floor corridor outside our common room."

"We had a brush with him in the entrance hall, but he didn't see us," said Bryony. "This is exciting!"

"It'll be more exciting if you're quiet," said George tersely.

"So, where are we going?" said Maisie. "We all saw the ghosts do their bit in the Great Hall."

"Yeah, we've all seen the Headless Hunt." Fred waved this away as nothing. "But what do you know about the Bloody Baron?"

"The Slytherin ghost?" Pippa was Muggle-born, and always nervous about not knowing things. "What do _you_ know about him?"

Fred beckoned them all closer. "Rumor has it he's a murderer."

"What? But he's the one who's dead," said Bryony. "Are you sure you don't mean he was murdered?"

"No, no, he offed himself," said George. "The guilt from the murder drove him mad."

Pippa shuddered.

"Legend has it," said Lee in a hoarse whisper, "that the Baron was scorned in love. The woman he loved did not love him in return, and so he killed her lover…and murdered her as well!"

Maisie felt a chill up her spine; Lee was a good storyteller.

"How did he do it?" Pippa was enraptured.

"He slit her throat with a silver knife." Lee drew a finger across his own throat to demonstrate.

"Why silver?" said Bryony.

The question gave Lee pause.

"Because," said Fred, "the Baron was a rich man, and a snob, and even in death he wanted only the best for his beloved."

"Quit spoiling the story." George nudged Bryony.

"And how did he kill the girl's lover, Lee?" Fred prompted.

"He saved the worse fate for the man who had stolen his love," said Lee, back in form. "In the dead of knight, the Bloody Baron rode to the man's home, and kicked down the door. He stormed upstairs, to where the blaggard lay asleep, exhausted from grieving the girl they'd both loved. The Baron drew his sword, moonlight gleaming down its length, and he-"

"AHA!"

The six first-years, engrossed in Lee's story, jumped and screamed. Filch loomed over them, lantern in hand. Mrs. Norris, his cat, twined around his ankles.

"First years breaking curfew," said Filch. "Naughty children, very naughty. What will your punishment be, let me think...hmm, hmm, first years breaking curfew…detention, of course. Each of you, detention. Thursday next, after dinner. My office, eight o'clock."

The six first-years said nothing.

"I will see you then," said Filch. "For now, back to bed, all of you. Mrs. Norris will escort the girls, won't you, dear?"

Mrs. Norris hissed.

"But sir," said Fred with a straight face, "we haven't finished our story!"

"BED!" Filch roared.

"See you tomorrow," said George, and the boys raced off, cackling.


	4. Year 1: November 5, 1989

_November 5, 1989_

The first Quidditch match of the year: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Most of the Hufflepuffs showed up to breakfast in Gryffindor colors, although a few supported Slytherin or remained neutral. Pippa and Bryony helped Maisie make a large banner, in support of Oliver's first game as Keeper, and they sat in the Gryffindor section with Lee and the twins.

"Good idea, that banner," said George.

"Yeah," said Fred. "We'd've made one for Charlie, but the phrase 'Don't Disappoint Our Mother' was too long."

"You could've abbreviated it," said Maisie. "DDOM?"

"There's an idea," said Fred.

"We'll keep it in mind for next time," said George.

The match began. Although Maisie had avidly followed Quidditch for years, it was her first live game, and she was riveted. She and Bryony screamed at the top of their lungs every time Gryffindor scored or Oliver made a particularly good save (so, quite often). Even Pippa, who hadn't known about the existence of Quidditch until starting at Hogwarts, was engrossed. Lee kept up a running commentary for her benefit.

Partway through the match, Fred leaned over to Maisie and whispered, "Check this out."

Maisie looked down. In Fred's lap was a ratty piece of parchment, folded over many times.

"What's that?"

"Don't you recognize it?" said Fred.

"Oh…is that what you stole from Filch's desk?"

During their detention on Thursday, George had tossed a Dungbomb out the open door of Filch's office and into the hallway. When Filch ran out to investigate, the twins picked the lock on Filch's desk drawers.

"It's a Muggle trick," Fred had said.

"Like the card tricks," Maisie said.

"Exactly like," George said.

"Muggles aren't all useless," said Fred. "Our dad loves Muggles. We picked up a few things."

To further distract Filch, Pippa, Bryony, and Lee had started a Dungbomb fight in the corridor. Maisie hovered by the desk and watched the twins work. They picked the lock easily, and rummaged eagerly through the contents of Filch's desk. They took most of his confiscated Zonko's items, but the blank piece of parchment gave them pause.

"Why'd he confiscate it, do you suppose?" said Fred. "It just looks like a bit of old parchment."

" _Looks_ like," said George. "It must be something else—cool bit of magic."

"We'll figure it out later," said Fred, and slipped the parchment into his pocket.

Now, during the noise and confusion of the Quidditch match, Fred showed the blank parchment to Maisie.

"Nothing on it," Maisie said.

"Ah, but watch this!" Fred tapped the parchment with the tip of his wand, leaned down, and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Spidery lines of ink appeared on the page, spreading and pooling and twining of their own volition. Maisie gaped. "Fred, what on earth-"

"Wait, wait! There's more!"

Maisie waited.

Slowly, words formed on the page. "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers, are proud to present the Marauder's Map."

Maisie glanced between the twins. "What's it do?"

"Unfold it," Fred urged, grinning.

It was a map of Hogwarts, exact to the last wall-as far as Maisie could tell. It was all laid out on the page: the greenhouses, the Great Hall, the towers, the common rooms, the classrooms-"But what are those?"

"Secret passages, we reckon," said George. "We already checked out that one there, on the third floor. It's blocked off-fallen rocks-but it's real! Who's the say the others aren't, too?"

"Blimey!" said Maisie. "Of course Hogwarts has secret passages."

"That's not even the best part," said Fred. "Look there, at the Quidditch pitch-no, on the map."

"But the game-!"

"Just look!"

Maisie looked. Tiny dots were zooming up and down the Quidditch pitch, too fast for her to really follow. The stands were full of similar tiny dots, each bearing a miniscule label. Maisie squinted, and could just make out the Gryffindor section of the stands, and sitting it: _Maisie Wood, Fred Weasley, George Weasley._

"What the hell?"

"It tracks movement," said Fred. "We used it last night, to investigate that passageway. Filch was on patrol, and the map showed us he was coming! We had time to hide in a classroom, and he walked right by us! It was incredible!"

"Have you looked at the other passages yet?" Maisie asked.

"No," said Fred.

"We sort of wanted to wait for you," said George. "See if you wanted to join us. Or any of the others."

"Yes, let's do it!" Maisie said. "When?"

"Well, not every night," said Fred. "We do value our sleep."

"And if we're not consistent, it'll be harder to be caught," said George.

"Makes sense," said Maisie. "Next week, then?"

"Sure."

The Gryffindors around them rose to their feet as one, roaring with excitement.

"Gryffindor scores!" Lee said theatrically. "Ten points to Gryffindor!"

Charlie Weasley caught the Snitch only ten minutes later, leaving the score at 240 – 30 Gryffindor. Maisie was glowing with pride; Oliver had only let three goals in!

I must write to Mum and Dad, she thought. When did I last write to them?

The Gryffindors in the stands were high-fiving one another, and they included the visiting Hufflepuffs in their joy. Maisie was hugged and clapped on the back by a dozen strangers, grinning broadly all the while.

"That's my brother!" she yelled, though nobody was really listening. "Oliver Wood is my brother!"


	5. Year 1: Christmas 1989

The faintest shading of sunlight in the night sky woke Maisie; she always slept with her curtains open on Christmas. She sat up, gently shoving Joscelind aside, and looked at the clock. It was six fifteen.

"Happy Christmas, Joscelind!" Maisie bounded out of bed, startling the cat and sending her skittering away, fur fluffed and tail raised. Maisie giggled.

Oliver's bedroom was right across the hall from Maisie's. Maisie crossed the distance in a single bound, struggled briefly with the doorknob, and burst into Oliver's room.

"Happy Christmas, Ollie!" Maisie leaped squarely onto the lump in Oliver's bed. She bounced up and down. "Wake up, wake up! Happy Christmas!"

"Morning, Mouse." Oliver was stretched out on the floor in a sleeping bag. "Happy Christmas."

"What?" Maisie pulled back Oliver's comforter to reveal a roll of blankets. "How could you?"

"Take precautions to spare my ribs? How dare I!" Oliver chuckled, tossing his pillow at Maisie. She deflected it and dove for him, pinning him to the floor. He retaliated cruelly by tickling her stomach.

Maisie squealed, rolling away from Oliver and curling into herself like a hedgehog. Laughing, he poked her relentlessly until she could hardly breathe.

"Stop, Ollie, stop it! Pax! Pax!"

"Fine." Oliver stood up, straightening his pajamas with dignity. "Truce-for now. Let me grab my robe and we'll go downstairs, yeah?"

They thundered down the stairs side-by-side, playfully shoving one another. Maisie's head hit the banister, and she saw stars, but it was nothing compared to being hit with a Bludger. She kept going.

The Woods's Christmas tree was decorated with an assortment of handmade and heirloom ornaments and twined with tinsel, charmed by Mum to glow in different colors. A small pile of packages clustered around its base like a clutch of dragon eggs.

Maisie and Oliver tore voraciously into the pile, but they took the time to neatly sort the presents by family member. Only when everything was stacked into four tidy piles did they rip open their gifts.

"Aw, Mouse, this is wicked! Thank you!" Oliver yanked on his new Puddlemere United jumper over his pajamas.

"Glad you like it!" Maisie beamed as she unwrapped Oliver's gift to her: _Quidditch Through the Ages._ "Oooh, thanks, Ollie!"

Mum and Dad had supplied each of them with a box of treats from Honeyduke's. Maisie traded her package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans for Oliver's package of Jelly Slugs; both were deeply satisfied with the exchange.

In addition, Mum had gotten Maisie a few Muggle paperbacks. Dad gave her his old Ravenclaw scarf, which Maisie thought looked retro enough to be cool. As always, both Maisie and Oliver had hand-knitted socks from Grandma. Grandpa sent Maisie her own Exploding Snap pack. There was a box of Muggle candy from Pippa, and Bryony had made a lace headband.

The clock chimed eight. Mum and Dad came downstairs to open their gifts. Maisie and Oliver cleaned up their wrapping paper and started making breakfast. Mum had made the coffeecake batter the night before, and Maisie put it in the oven. Oliver made the eggs.

They all sat down to Christmas breakfast at nine fifteen, warm and glowing. Mum complimented Oliver's eggs and gushed over the earrings Maisie had gotten her. Joscelind twined around their ankles, meowing for sausage. Outside, snow fell, filling their footprints from the day before and smoothing out the landscape. Their snowman gained a little weight.

After breakfast, they sat around the fireplace with cups of cocoa. The Christmas roast was in the oven. Maisie felt full and content.

Lee Jordan knocked on the back door at eleven-thirty. The snow had stopped, and Lee wanted to go sledding.

"Mum, can I?" said Maisie.

"Be back by three," said Mum. "The roast comes out of the oven at four, and you'll need to take a bath."

"Are you implying that I'll get dirty playing in the snow?" Maisie scoffed. "Mum, that's ridiculous! Snow is made of water! Water is what we bathe in!"

Mum rolled her eyes. "Yes, but you and Lee will run around, and push each other over, and Lee always finds a way to get leaves in your hair. You're getting in the bath at three. I'll have the hot water ready."

Maisie knew when she was beaten. "Ollie, want to come?"

"Not this year. You guys go." Oliver was engrossed in his new broom maintenance kit.

When they were outside, Maisie said, "Oliver thinks he's too cool for us now."

"I don't know why he thinks that," said Lee. "We're only his little sister and her friend."

"Having a good Christmas?"

"Oh, yeah, it's brilliant." Lee grinned. "Fred sent me a box of roaches!"

"Disgusting! Why is that brilliant?" Maisie wrinkled her nose.

Lee laughed. "They were transfigured Cockroach Clusters. Only problem was, once they changed back I had to find out where they'd run off to before I could eat them. I'm not sure I found them all."

"At least it wasn't Sugar Spiders."

"That's true. Mum hates spiders. He could've, though. Fred's great at transfiguration."

"Remember when he turned Snape's cauldron into a pumpkin?"

"Yes! That was amazing! He lost Gryffindor fifty points, but it was worth it!" Lee slapped his thigh, roaring with laughter.

Maisie smirked. "I guess that's why Hufflepuff is ahead in the House Cup."

"Not for long, Wood," said Lee. "Your Quidditch team is rubbish, and nobody gives Hufflepuffs points in class! You're too damn humble!"

"Just wait until next year, when me and Bryony are on the team," Maisie said. "We'll show your precious Gryffindor team what's what!"

"As if you or Bryony can score goals on your brother!"

"I bet we can!" Maisie raised her chin.

"Damn," said Lee. "I thought I had you with the brother thing."

"Oliver's a great Keeper," Maisie said. "But who do you think trains with him during the summer?"

Lee raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

Maisie nodded.

"Well, then I can't wait to see what the Hufflepuff team looks like next year!" Lee grinned.

They spent a glorious afternoon sledding on the hill behind Lee's house. Other kids from the neighborhood were there, all Muggles. Lee and Maisie said hey to a few Muggles they'd been friends with, but there wasn't much to talk about with them anymore. Worse, their presence meant that Lee couldn't try levitating his sled to increase his speed. They'd have to try another day.

Maisie stumbled into the house at three forty-five, flushed and panting, with twigs in her hair. Mum had expected this, of course, and rushed Maisie through a bath and used drying spells to speed the process. They sat down to dinner minutes after the roast came out of the oven, right on schedule.

All in all, it was a wonderful Christmas.


	6. Year 1: January 23, 1990

_January 23, 1990_

"You ready?" said Fred.

"Ready," said George and Maisie.

Fred reached out with his wand and tapped the one-eyed statue on her hump. _"Dissendium!"_

When the statue grated and slid open, revealing a dark passage, the twins and Maisie sighed with relief. The other passages on the map hadn't yielded much of interest, besides good hiding places should the need arise. This passage, however, led straight off the edge of the map.

They'd invited the others, of course, but Lee had detention that day, and Bryony and Pippa had had their fill of rule-breaking for a while. Maisie, however, was rabidly curious about the map and its contents.

All three of them lit their wands-they'd learned the _Lumos_ charm only two weeks prior-and filed into the passage. The statue slid back into place behind them.

"Creepy," said George.

Maisie hadn't thought so, but as soon as he said creepy, she felt creeped out. Who knew what was at the end of the passage, or lurking in the darkness on the way there? She drew closer to the twins, and her wand brightened in response to her fear.

"Mischief managed," said Fred, tapping the map with his wand. It obediently faded until it was only blank parchment again, and Fred folded it up and put it in his pocket.

They hurried down the passage in silence, eager to discover their destination. Fred led the way, with Maisie immediately behind him. She was glad that George brought up the rear.

Spiders and rats scurried away from the light of their wands, but nothing larger. The passage was cold and clammy, although the stones that formed the walls and floor were neatly laid. After a while, however, the floor turned to bare stone, then dirt, and the passage began to slope upwards.

"How long you reckon we've been walking?" said Fred.

"About an hour," said Maisie. "I checked my watch."

"So, what, four miles, give or take?" said George.

"What's four miles from the castle?" said Maisie.

"I bet it's Hogsmeade!" Fred perked up. "I'm not sure of the direction, but I think it's far enough...?"

"If it is," said Maisie, "we can't just go walking around. They'll know immediately we're Hogwarts students and oughtn't to be there. We should wait until a Hogsmeade day."

"But those are only once a month!" Fred protested.

"She's right, though," said George. "We don't want anybody figuring out how we get off the grounds."

Fred grumbled about this but conceded the point. "We'll have to find a workaround."

"If this is actually Hogsmeade," said Maisie.

"Maybe it's the Shrieking Shack!" said George excitedly. "The most haunted building in Britain!"

Maisie shuddered. "I hope not."

"You're not really afraid of ghosts?" said Fred. "Not with dozens of them roaming the castle?"

"No!" said Maisie. "The Fat Friar's nice!"

Fred snorted. "The Fat Friar's a pushover."

"Well, we're not all about showy displays in Hufflepuff," said Maisie primly.

"Oh, come off it," said George. "I've seen the tricks you do on your broom. That's not showy?"

"It'll be showy on the scoreboard," Maisie retorted.

Fred laughed. "Oh-ho, we'll have to watch out for you on the pitch, won't we?"

"That's assuming you both make the team," said Maisie.

"Oh, we'll make the team," said George. "We're Weasleys!"

"Yeah, well, I'm a Wood!"

"Hush!" said Fred suddenly. "We're here!"

The passage ended abruptly, and a rickety wooden ladder ascended into darkness. Maisie had a sense of the ceiling opening up. She wondered how high they had to climb.

"Ladies first," said Fred, stepping back.

"Right," said Maisie. "If it breaks under my weight, no way it'll hold you two."

Fred grinned cheekily. "Exactly."

Maisie held her wand between her teeth and started to climb. Although it looked rotten, the ladder was actually quite sturdy, and bore her weight easily. At the top she encountered a thick stone slab. Maisie pushed on it, but it wouldn't move.

"Guys!" she whispered down the ladder. "There's a trapdoor, but I can't get it open!"

"What do you mean, can't?" whispered George. "You have a wand, dummy!"

"Oh, right!" Maisie waved her wand and whispered, " _Wingardium Leviosa._ " Hopefully there was nobody on the other side.

As luck would have it, there wasn't. Maisie crawled out of the passage and sprawled across a dusty cellar floor. She was surrounded by stacked crates, but there was no one in site.

"Clear!" she called down the shaft.

The twins joined her minutes later. They surveyed their surroundings with awe. They didn't quite dare go up the cellar stairs-there were people moving around above-but they investigated the crates thoroughly.

"Chocolate Frogs, Every-Flavor Beans, Fizzing Whizbees...do you think this is Honeydukes?" said Fred.

"Could be," said George. "That'd be too good to be true, wouldn't it?"

"I'll say!" said Maisie. "Getting into the kitchens has got nothing on this!"

"Getting into the kitchens?" said Fred. "Who's been getting into the kitchens?"

"Me and Pippa," said Maisie. "They're right by the Hufflepuff common room. I assumed you'd have found them with the map."

"Oh, we see where they are, all right," said George, "but we didn't know how to get in. There's no door on the map."

Maisie grinned. "You mean I have the one-up on the adventurous Weasley twins, who haven't even been in the kitchens?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're brilliant. A paragon of mischief," said Fred. "Just tell us, please?"

"I'll show you sometime," Maisie said. "It's not hard. Most of the Hufflepuffs know about it. We like to have snacks in the common room at night."

"Lucky ducks," said George.

"Quack," said Maisie.

They poked around in the basement for another hour. This was enough to assure them that this was, in fact, Honeydukes; several of the crates were addressed thus. Elated, the twins filled their pockets with goodies. Maisie was reluctant-they were technically stealing-but the twins assured her that, since the theft was coming out of the shipments, the shop would likely blame the suppliers.

"Besides," said Fred, "it's not as if we wouldn't pay if we could."

This did not sit right with Maisie, but when Fred found the Peppermint Toads she loved so much she put her scruples aside for the time being.


	7. Year 1: June 20, 1990

Pippa sighed and flopped back on the seat. "Promise me you'll write? The Muggle world will seem so dull after all this!"

"'Course we'll write," said Maisie, "but I'm sending my letters by owl. None of that post office nonsense."

"I'm not sure the Muggle postman knows where my house it," said Bryony.

They were on the Hogwarts Express again, heading home for the summer holidays. The first-year Hufflepuff girls had claimed a compartment for themselves, and spread their various candy wrappers, jumpers, pet carriers, and bags across all the seats. The boys had stopped in for a while, to play Exploding Snap and moan about how difficult exams were, but they had gone off again to see Cedric Diggory and the other second-years.

"I'll have to use Oliver's owl," said Maisie. "Mum needs hers for work."

"Will he mind?" said Evie.

"Probably not, unless he's got a girlfriend to write to."

The girls tittered.

"He's very handsome, your brother," said Patricia.

Maisie wrinkled her nose. "Is he?"

"Alicia Spinnet thinks so," said Evie. "We heard her telling Angelina, didn't we, Patty? They're going to try out for Quidditch next year."

"They're good fliers," said Bryony. "Good luck to them."

"I'm going to try out, too!" said Pippa. "I probably won't make it, because you lot have been on brooms since you could walk, but I'm going to try!"

"That's the spirit, Pip," said Maisie bracingly.

"What positions are you going to try out for?" said Evie.

"I hadn't thought," said Pippa helplessly. "Whatever I'm decent at, I suppose."

"I want to be a Chaser," said Bryony. "Dad said I could take the Cleansweep Five to school next year-it's an old broom, but it still works. And it's the rider's skill that really counts, isn't it?"

"I think so," said Maisie. "Ollie's been training me for Seeker, but I don't know...Cedric Diggory is awfully good."

"Awfully good-looking, you mean," said Patty dreamily. "Can we talk about something other than Quidditch, please?"

"What, like exams?" said Evie. "I'm sick of talking about exams."

"What're you doing over the holidays, Patty?" said Bryony.

"Not much," said Patty. "My family's having a get-together in Brighton. I haven't seen my cousins in ages. Some of them moved to America, years ago. I wonder what Ilvermony's like?"

"What's Ilvermony?" said Pippa.

"American Hogwarts," said Bryony dismissively. "Got nothing on us, obviously."

"I don't know," Maisie said. "American magic must be a real hodgepodge of techniques, because of the immigrants-don't you think?"

"I'd imagine that makes their magic worse, not better," said Evie.

"I dunno," said Bryony. "Mixing things makes stronger magic, doesn't it? Like, wandwood on its own doesn't do much, but pair it with a core-hey, presto!"

Evie, whose family was pureblood, had a lot to say about this. Maisie had already learned to tune her out when she did this.

The year had been, in Maisie's opinion, spectacular. The only thing that might have made it better was Hufflepuff doing better in Quidditch, and perhaps winning the House Cup. According to senior Hufflepuffs, however, this almost never happened.

"We're too humble," said Archie Ford. "Nobody rewards us because nobody notices us. And our Quidditch team is rubbish compared to Gryffindor and Slytherin."

Bryony and Maisie had attended a few Quidditch practices to observe the team and get a feel for what things might be like next year. They both thought that Dan Watson, the team captain, could improve on his practice structure considerably.

"It comes from being a Beater," said Bryony dismissively. "Beaters are idiots. Comes from being knocked on the head with a Bludger too many times."

She'd said this during Herbology one day, and Fred and George, who aspired to be Gryffindor's Beaters, had taken offense. Bryony hastily assured them she was joking, at which point they'd revealed that their offense was a joke, too.

"Best not to take the twins seriously," was Maisie's advice.

The twins had built quite a reputation for themselves, with assistance from Lee Jordan and, on occasion, Maisie and Pippa. They threw Dungbombs in the corridors; they jinxed other students; they flooded the prefects' bathroom. Mrs. Weasley sent multiple Howlers, causing disruption at breakfast, but to no avail.

With help from the Marauder's Map, the twins made many trips to Hogsmeade. They often went on Hogsmeade Saturdays, so they were free to wander the streets without attracting much attention. Their favorite shop was Zonko's, which supplied them with Dungbombs and other sundry prank items. Maisie preferred Honeyduke's.

Evie's lecture on the merits of pureblood wizards-punctuated by Pippa's uncomfortable laughs and Bryony's attempts to change the subject-was interrupted by the timely arrival of the snack trolley. Maisie had no pocket money, but Bryony treated her to pumpkin pasties and peppermint toads.

Hours later, when the train pulled into the station, Maisie bade farewell to her friends with tight hugs with promises to write. On the platform, she ran into Lee and the twins.

"There you are!" said Lee. "My mum's looking for you. She says your mum's working, and you and Oliver are coming to ours for a few hours."

"All right," said Maisie. "Where's Oliver?"

"By the gate."

"We'll see you in September, then," said Fred.

"Yeah, see you," said Maisie.

"We've been talking," said George, "and we want to explore the Forbidden Forest next year. You up for it?"

Maisie raised her eyebrows. "Don't you think there's a reason it's forbidden?"

"Maybe," said Fred, "but that's the fun of it, isn't it?"

"We'll see," said Maisie.


	8. Year 2: September 24, 1990

Riding her brother's old Cleansweep Six, Maisie hovered fifty feet above the Quidditch pitch, fighting the stiff breeze. Her broom swayed back and forth, but Maisie kept it steady.

It was the first exercise of the Hufflepuff Quidditch tryouts: keep your broom steady in the air. Already, several others had had to land, and Watson asked them to leave the pitch. Pippa was among these, but Maisie was proud of how long she'd held up, given the conditions.

After about five minutes of this, Watson had them fly circles around the pitch.

"I'm looking to see who's fastest on a broom, sure, but control is also important," said Watson. "Show me you can make a tight turn, or switch directions quickly. Fast reflexes are vital in Quidditch."

Maisie nodded, pursing her lips determinedly. Bryony, next to her, bore a similar expression.

Watson divided them into groups of seven and instructed them to fly around. He'd sometimes call out for a direction change, or a sudden stop. Several people turned too widely, or lost control of their brooms, and wiped out in the stands. Jimmy Graham, who was in Maisie's year, had a rather spectacular crash into the professors' box.

"Hospital wing!" Watson said. "Hurry! Madam Pomfrey will fix you right up, don't fret!"

Pippa and Jasper helped Jimmy stand and staggered off toward the castle supporting him between them.

Once everyone had flown, Watson spent some time deliberating with Cedric and Archie. He announced a list of names, including Maisie, Bryony, and Owen.

"Everyone else: thanks for coming. We'll see you at the matches."

Many people stayed to watch the rest of the tryouts. Watson had the smaller group run through a series of drills for Beater, Keeper, Chaser, and Seeker. Maisie suspected the Seeker trail was more of a formality, given Cedric's skill and reputation, but she did her best anyway. She knew she was a good Seeker.

These drills took another hours, at the end of which Watson dismissed them all to the locker rooms for showers and water. When they emerged, toweling off their hair and glowing with exertion, Watson was waiting with a clipboard. Cedric stood next to him, smiling reassuringly at everyone.

"Right," said Watson when they were all assembled. "Good job, all. Really good turnout this year. We've enough people for reserve players, so listen up." He looked at his clipboard. "Chasers: Webb, Ford, Griffiths."

Maisie clasped Bryony's hand and squeezed it. "Well done!" she whispered.

"Beaters: Watson, Wood."

Maisie gasped. Beater was the position she thought herself worst at.

"Seeker: Diggory."

"Obviously," Bryony murmured.

"Keeper: Dixon."

Leah Dixon, only a year older than Maisie, beamed with pleasure. She had thick, curly dark hair and a smattering of freckles. Maisie liked her, and now she'd know her better.

"Wood is our reserve Seeker, and Powell will be reserve for all other positions as needed," Said Watson. "The rest of you, thank you for coming. Well done, all."

They dispersed. Owen barreled into Maisie and Bryony and threw his arms around them, bouncing with excitement.

"Look at us! Teammates! Celebratory butterbeer, anyone? Maisie? Talk to the twins?"

"We'd better go see Jimmy in the hospital wing first," said Maisie. "Besides, Owen: I am not your personal ordering service for the Weasley twins."

"Sorry, only-you know them best," said Owen. "I figured they'd bring us butterbeer if you asked."

"They might," said Maisie.

"Anyway, I hope Jimmy's all right," said Bryony as they started walking back up the hill.

"He was walking, wasn't he? He'll be fine," said Owen. "He'll be more worried about his Potions essay than anything else. Speaking of, have you started yours?"

"Yeah, almost done," said Bryony. "Let's stop by the kitchens and bring some food to Jimmy."

"Good idea," said Maisie.

The entrance to the kitchen was near the Hufflepuff common room. Maisie tickled the pear, and the painting willingly admitted them to the toasty, fragrant kitchen. A swarm of house elves immediately accosted them, demanding personal news and could they take their coats?

"Hello, hello-yes, I've missed you too!" Maisie batted them gently away. "Jimmy's in the hospital wing, and we were wondering if we could take some snacks to him?"

"Oh yes, yes!" They scurried away. "Just wait over there with the young Wheezys. We'll have something ready straightaway. Sit, sit, and have some tea!"

Sure enough, Fred and George were sitting at what would be the Gryffindor table upstairs, tucking into a full tea with gusto.

"Hello, you lot!" said Fred with his mouth full. "Pull up a bench!"

"How were tryouts?" said George. "Yours were today, weren't they?"

"They were great!" said Bryony. "You are looking at the three newest members of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team!"

"Cheers to that!" said Fred. "I can't wait to beat your ass on the field!"

"Not if I beat yours first," said Maisie.

"What, you're not a Beater, are you?" said George. "I thought you were keen on Seeker?"

"I am," said Maisie, "and Watson made me backup Seeker, but with Diggory on the team I didn't have a chance, did I?"

"And I'm the reserve player," said Owen importantly. "Here's hoping Diggory gets sick a lot this year."

"I'll drink to that," said Fred, knocking back a mug of butterbeer.

They spent a pleasant half-hour having tea, chatting about classes and Quidditch and flicking wadded-up napkins at each other. The house elves put together a hamper for Jimmy, containing his favorite snacks and sweets.

Fred and George accompanied the Hufflepuffs to the hospital wing. Pippa and Jasper were sitting on either side of Jimmy's bed. Jimmy was conscious, but he arm and leg were in slings.

"I broke two ribs and fractured my femur and my wrist," Jimmy said. "Madam Pomfrey's given me Skele-Gro, and I'm to stay here overnight. She says it'll hurt like the dickens."

"That's rough," said Bryony. "We went to the kitchen and brought you snacks." She set the hamper on the side table.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" said Maisie.

Jimmy grinned woozily. "Not anymore. She gave me something strong."

"Rough go, mate," said Owen. "I'm sorry you wiped out. "Better luck next year."

"Hang on," said Jimmy. "How'd you lot make out? Did Maisie kick Diggory off his throne?"

"No such luck," said Fred.

"Nah, she'll get him next year," said Owen confidently. "Bryony's a Chaser, Maisie's a Beater, and I'm the reserve player!"

Jimmy pumped his good fist. "Well done, guys! I couldn't be prouder."

"Jimmy, stop, I'm blushing," said Bryony.

Pippa clapped her hands. "Oh, well done, Bryony! And Maisie!"

"Thanks, Pip," said Maisie. "You'll have to come to all our games, you know."

"I wouldn't miss a match! I love Quidditch!"

Jasper smiled. "We'll all come."

Madam Pomfrey bustled in, waving her hands in a shooing motion. "Away, all of you! It's almost time for your dinner, and Mr. Graham should get some sleep while he can."

"We'll come back in the morning," said Bryony.

They all went straight down to the Great Hall together.

"I don't envy Jimmy," said Owen. "He's in for a rough night."

"One of our brothers broke his leg and had to take Skele-Gro," said Fred. "Kept the whole family up all night with his moaning."

Maisie grimaced. "Oh, gosh. But he'll be all right in the end, won't he?"

"Oh, yeah. Right as rain," said George.

Ippa sighed in relief.


	9. Year 2: November 23, 1990

Bryony stared at her toast as if she thought it might bite her.

"C'mon, eat something," said Maisie. "You'll be no good on a broom if your stomach is empty."

"I can't!" said Bryony. "I'm too nervous!"

"Don't be," said Maisie. "You've practiced formations with Callum and Archie for weeks. You can catch anything anybody throws at you."

"But I'm rubbish at dodging Bludgers!"

"Don't worry about the Bludgers," said Maisie. "That's my job."

"Yeah," said Owen bracingly. "Maisie'll keep 'em off you, Bry!"

Bryony finally consented to eat two pieces of toast, but she wouldn't touch the bacon or sausage. Maisie and Owen, meanwhile, demolished a stack of flapjacks and a side of bacon between them.

Pippa and Jimmy flopped down next to Maisie. They'd painted their faces yellow and black for the occasion, and each sported a Hufflepuff scarf.

"Shouldn't you be down on the pitch by now?" said Jimmy.

Maisie shrugged. "When Diggory says to go, I'll go."

Dan Watson had suffered an accident in Transfiguration and sprouted antlers; he was confined to the hospital for the weekend, and Cedric was acting as Captain for the team's first match against Ravenclaw. In Watson's absence, Owen would be Maisie's partner at beating.

"Where's everybody else?" said Owen around a mouthful of bacon.

"They're coming," said Pippa. "Patty didn't like the way her hair was curling today. When I left there was talk of a hat."

"What's it matter how her hair curls?" said Jimmy. "The wind'll mess it up anyhow."

"She does have nice hair," said Maisie diplomatically. "If I had hair that nice, I'd fuss over it, too."

"Your hair is nice," said Owen. When Maisie glanced at him, surprised by the compliment, he averted his gaze.

"I think Angus and Isaac will be there," said Pippa, "but Jasper's got detention!"

"No!" said Bryony.

"Jasper? Detention?" said Maisie. "Those words hardly go together! What did he do?"

"Bloody idiot got caught sneaking to the kitchen," said Jimmy. "Snape was in a foul mood."

"Aw, poor Jasper," said Bryony.

Cedric breezed by on his way out the door. "Come on, you lot!"

"I hate how chipper he is in the mornings," Jimmy grumbled.

"We'd better go." Maisie shoved the bench back. "We'll see you after the game, yeah?"

"Of course!" said Pippa. "Knock 'em dead!"

"Speaking of people who are too chipper in the morning," Bryony murmured to Maisie as they left.

Maisie hid a laugh behind her hand. "She's just excited. Can you imagine coming here, having gone your whole life not knowing about magic, and bam! Quidditch?"

"I suppose."

They'd left Owen behind to chew his bacon, but he caught up with them at a jog as they entered the Hufflepuff locker room. The rest of the team was already present, in various states of undress.

"Quick, quick!" said Cedric. "Sorry to rush you, but I think we ought to warm up."

"Right-o, Cap!" said Maisie.

When they were all dressed, Cedric gave them a brief pep talk: "This our first game of the season, so no pressure, yeah? We're a solid team. Get out there, trust each other, and play your best! Go badgers, on three! One, two, three-GO BADGERS!"

They jogged onto the pitch to thunderous applause from the Hufflepuff section and some of Gryffindor. Something flashing the Gryffindor section caught Maisie's eye. It was a large banner that changed words every few seconds.

Maisie read it aloud: "Don't...disappoint...your...mother."

"What?" said Bryony.

Maisie pointed. "Look there, in the Gryffindor section. I bet it's the twins."

"How d'you know?" said Owen.

"Oh, just an old joke," said Maisie.

Owen gave her a strange look.

It was time to mount their brooms. Cedric shook hands with the Ravenclaw captain, a tall, pleasant-looking girl Maisie thought was their Keeper.

On Madam Hooch's whistle, they all kicked off the ground as hard as they could. Cedric zoomed away, seeking a good vantage point to look for the Snitch. Callum Webb, Hufflepuff's largest Chaser, seized the Quaffle and streaked toward the Ravenclaw end of the pitch. As per their strategy, Maisie tailed him to ward off Bludgers from the Ravenclaw team.

Evidently, the Ravenclaws hadn't expected Hufflepuff to be so quick out the gate, because the strategy worked perfectly: Callum scored within seconds. The Hufflepuff section roared its approval.

"Well done!" Maisie shouted. Callum held out his hand for a high five, and she whacked it with her bat.

A Bludger whistled by Maisie's ear. It just missed Callum, thankfully.

"Keep your head in the game, Wood!" Cedric called.

Red with embarrassment, Maisie tracked Callum down the pitch and whacked a Bludger at the Ravenclaw Chaser in possession. It clipped the tail of her broom; she spun out of control, and the Quaffle went flying. Bryony snagged it easily.

Callum and Maisie turned sharply (Maisie was quicker) and paralleled Bryony back down the pitch. Owen was covering Bryony, and managed to ward off two Bludgers. He hit one of them to Maisie, who lobbed it at the Ravenclaw Keeper just as Bryony entered the penalty zone. The Bludger hit the Ravenclaw Keeper square in the arm, and Bryony scored.

Madam Hooch blew the whistle. "Penalty for Ravenclaw! Bludgers are not to be aimed at the Keeper!"

"Oh, c'mon!" Maisie yelled! "It was in the scoring zone!"

"Watch your mouth, Wood, or it's two penalties!"

Ravenclaw's only girl Chaser lined up to take the shot on Leah. The Ravenclaw tried to feint, but Leah was unfazed and saved the Quaffle easily. Twenty-zero to Hufflepuff.

The match lasted for over an hour. The Ravenclaw Chasers were very good, and scored on Leah many times, but Leah never failed to block a penalty shot. Callum, Archie, and Bryony moved together like choreographed dancers, passing and scoring easily.

Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were tied, eighty-eighty. The students in the stands roared with excitement. Ravenclaw was in possession of the Quaffle. Maisie flew tightly off Archie's right shoulder, each of them seeking an opening on the Ravenclaw Chaser.

"Wood!" shouted Owen.

Maisie turned-he'd hit a Bludger to her-she batted it once, twice, aimed it at the Chaser's back- _whomp_ -the Chaser rolled, dodging the Bludger. The Ravenclaw Chaser made a wide, sweeping turn at the end of the pitch, and easily lobbed the Quaffle into the hoop on the far side while Leah was still trying to catch up with her turn.

The buzzer sounded.

"What? What happened?" Maisie braked sharply.

"Cedric Diggory catches the Snitch! Hufflepuff wins!" Lee's voice reverberated through the stadium; he was Hogwarts's new Quidditch commentator.

"We won!" Owen slammed his broom into Maisie's and clapped her on the back. "We did it, Wood!"

Bryony came at them, and looked as if she was going to collide, but she braked easily and stopped inches from Maisie, grinning from ear to ear. "We won! Well done, us! We won!"

Maisie whooped with joy. "Wait'll Mum hears about this!"


	10. Year 2: February 7, 1991

"I should have put on another jumper." Pippa shivered.

"Here," said George. "Take my scarf."

"Don't worry," said Fred. "Nobody'll see you wearing Gryffindor colors. It'll be our little secret."

Pippa laughed, but it came out shivery, and she accepted the scarf with no protest.

Maisie, meanwhile, had crept ahead of the others. She peered over Hagrid's garden wall. The cabin was dark, and faint snores were audible from within.

"All clear!" she whispered to the others.

"Brilliant!" said Fred. "Let's go, then!"

Their target was Hagrid's tool shed. On their previous foray into the Forbidden Forest, Bryony had fallen into a deep pit. Fred's levitation charm had not been strong enough to lift her out, and it had taken four of them pulling to lift her the rest of the way. Bryony was still on crutches, and George had suggested that they bring rope and lanterns on their next expedition.

The twins picked the lock while Maisie and Pippa stood watch, Pippa blowing on her hands periodically. The grounds were normally deserted at night, but it never hurt to be careful. They'd been caught in the corridors a number of times; Maisie had already accumulated more detentions in her two years than Oliver had in the previous four, and the twins had more detentions than she did.

After about ten minutes, Fred and George reappeared, their arms laden. There were lanterns for each of them, plus an immense old coat of Hagrid's that George dumped unceremoniously on Pippa. She tumbled to the ground under its weight.

"Found these, too," said Fred, and handed Maisie a machete. "Figured it might come in handy. Got some rope, too, just in case."

"Good call," Maisie said. She shouldered a coil of rope. "Where to tonight?"

"Thought we'd go round the east side," said George. "Haven't been out there yet."

"Suits me," said Pippa. Hagrid's sleeves went nearly a foot past her hands, and the ends of the coat trailed on the ground.

"Excellent!" said Fred.

They knew the paths near Hagrid's cabin pretty well by that point, and made quick progress to the eastern side of the forest. The trees grew thicker here, and closer together, so they lost the moonlight before long. Pippa and George carried lanterns, but Fred and Maisie pulled out their wands and said, " _Lumos._ "

The forest was brilliantly illuminated from underneath. Their pool of light extended a dozen feet from their feet, but all was darkness beyond. In that darkness, they knew by now, were all sorts of creatures they didn't want to encounter. Fred swore he'd seen a vampire in October, but nobody else had seen it; they'd met a centaur once or twice, and been chased off; somewhere, they knew, there were unicorns. And there were others, too, that they knew only by the eerie sounds that echoed through the trees.

After about an hour of walking, they'd gone farther from Hagrid's cabin than ever before. The trees were even closer together, so they had to walk single file. There was moss on the trunks, and thick cobwebs strung between the branches.

"You don't see this many spiderwebs in other parts of the forest," said Pippa. "How big does a spider have to be to make a web like this?"

Maisie wrinkled her nose. "Disgustingly big."

"Hey, Fred. Remember when you turned Ickle Ronnie's teddy bear into a giant spider?"

Fred chortled. "I'll never forget it!"

"I thought we weren't allowed to do magic outside of school?" said Pippa.

"We're not," said George, "but we weren't exactly in school yet."

"What? How old were you?" said Maisie.

"About five," said Fred.

"And you did a full Transfiguration on a teddy bear?"

"What, you impressed?"

Maisie snorted. "Hardly. When I was four I turned Oliver's broomstick into a snake."

"What!" Pippa gasped. "Did you really?"

"No." Maisie laughed.

Fred jostled her playfully. "You really had me going!"

"Me too, for a second." George laughed. "Should've known. We all know you're rubbish at Transfiguration."

"That's true," said Maisie. "But I did jinx Ollie's broom, once. I was pissed at him for something stupid, and I made his broom do cartwheels every time he tried to mount it."

"Wow!" said Pippa. "Advanced magic like that, when you were just a kid?"

"Yes, and we're proper old codgers now," said Fred.

"You know what I mean!"

"Are you telling me you never suspected you had magic?" said George. "Until a Hogwarts letter showed up by owl, you had no idea?"

Pippa hesitated. "Well, there were a few things…odd coincidences, or so I thought. Nothing as drastic as a cartwheeling broom."

"Well, we can't all have Mays's talent for trouble," said Fred.

"I do not have a talent for trouble!"

"Don't you? You've the most detentions in our year, after me and George."

"Because of my thirst for adventure," said Maisie with dignity. "I am a model student in class. I never play Exploding Snap during McGonagall's lectures, for example."

"We don't do that!" said George.

"Yeah! We only play games during Binns's class, or Snape's!" said Fred.

Maisie rolled her eyes. "My mistake."

"As if we would disrespect our own Head of House in such a way!" said Fred.

"The nerve!" said George.

"All right, all right!" Maisie laughed. "I take it back!"

"Hang on," said Pippa. "Look at this, guys."

She was standing under a tree, looking straight up. "Mays, point your wand this way."

Maisie pointed her lit wand into the tree. Dangling above them, about thirty feet off the ground, was a large white pod.

"What's that?" said Pippa.

"How should I know?" said Maisie.

"I dunno, I thought maybe it was a magical kind of acorn or something."

"You reckon we can get it down?" said Fred.

"Worth a shot," said George. "Try the Severing Charm, Freddie."

Fred waved his wand in a tight, practiced motion. " _Diffindo_!"

Whatever was holding the pod up split neatly, and it dropped. The four students hurriedly stumbled back as the pod crashed to the ground in front of them. It split partially, revealing a gleaming white shape inside.

Pippa cautiously poked the stringy white material of the pod. "What is this? It's sticky."

"What's inside, is what I want to know," said Fred. " _Diffindo!_ "

The pod split the rest of the way, and Pippa screamed. The gleaming white things inside the pod were bones. The skeleton was still nearly intact; it looked like a deer.

"Disgusting!" said Fred. "I love it!"

Maisie leaned down for a better look. "I wonder how long it's been like this?"

"Not long, I'd say. This thread stuff is still soft." George nudged it with his foot.

Pippa blanched. "Thread stuff? What do you think killed this?"

"I don't know," said Maisie. "But maybe we—"

"Sticky thread, Mays!" Pippa sprang to her feet. "Remember we said, how big is the spider that made these webs? Well how big do you think a spider has to be to _kill a deer_?"

"Merlin's beard," whispered George.

"I'd like to see that," said Fred. "Where do you think it is? Can't be far, right? This is its supper."

"You guys really want to see a gigantic spider?" said Maisie.

"Not just any giant spider," said Fred. "Have you read Scamander's book?"

"Parts of it."

"I bet it's an Acromantula!"

"A what?" Pippa was pale and shaky, from cold or fear. Possibly both.

"Giant spiders, supposedly hyper-intelligent," Maisie said. "Guys, if there are really Acromantulas out here, don't you think we should go?"

"And miss the chance to see one in person?" said Fred. "Not a chance! Lee will be so mad he missed this!"

"Guys, c'mon," Maisie said. "Those things are incredibly dangerous—"

"And centaurs and vampires are safe?" George snorted. "C'mon, Mays, where's your sense of adventure?"

Maisie hesitated. Would it really be so much more dangerous to see an Acromantula, after centaurs?

But Pippa was shaking her head vigorously. "Not me, no way. Sorry, guys, but I'm bloody terrified of spiders. I'd scream, or pass out, or both, and then where would we be?"

"In the middle of the woods with a giant spider," said Fred. "Obviously."

"Not funny, Fred," said Maisie. "Pip, if you're serious, I'll walk back with you."

"Aw, c'mon!" said George. "You're not leaving? When we're so close?"

"We're leaving while we still have blood in our bodies," said Maisie.

George slumped. "Well, it won't be much fun without you lot. Why don't we head back, Freddie?"

"What? No way!" Fred crossed his arms. "I'm not leaving. We've come this far. We've got to see this through."

"You two go on," said Maisie. "Tell me all about it later, yeah?"

"Yeah, all right," said George. "You're okay to get back?"

"Course we are. C'mon, Pip."

They returned to the path, holding wands and lanterns aloft. When their pool of light illuminated the way forward, it was obstructed by a thick web.

"Was that there before?" said Pippa nervously.

"Sure it was," said Fred. "No problem— _Diffindo_!"

The charm got through about half of the webbing.

"Do it again," George urged him.

"No, guys—wait," said Maisie. "Look behind us."

The path was covered by web in both directions.

"That definitely was not there before!" said Pippa.

There was a rustling in the trees.

"Shit!" George drew his wand. "That side's blocked off, too."

"So's the other." Maisie backed up. "Stand in a circle, facing in all directions."

They did as she said. Pippa drew her wand, but she was shaking.

"I can't do this!" she whispered. "If it comes at me, I'll—I'll faint!"

"No, you won't," said Maisie firmly. "Stay calm, Pippa. We'll get out of this." She raised her wand. " _Incendio_!"

The webs all around them burst into flames. The spider chittered angrily.

"Well done, Maisie!" said Fred.

"What happens if the trees catch fire, too?" said George.

"Dunno, but it was the only thing I could think of."

Pippa drew closer to Maisie. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," said Maisie desperately.

The fire grew larger; several nearby trees and bushes were ablaze.

"Shit!" said Fred vehemently.

"Bright side," said George. "I bet the spiders are gone."

Maisie laughed mirthlessly.

Hagrid's deep voice reverberated through the trees: " _Aguamenti_!" A jet of water sprayed the trees. The flames hissed, then died down, then sputtered out. Hagrid stood on the path back toward Hogwarts, brandishing a pink umbrella and a lantern. Fang, his immense mastiff, stood by his side.

"You lot again! How many times have I told you to stay away from the forest? And now I find you in the most dangerous part of it?"

"Thanks for finding us, Hagrid," said Fred. "We got a bit lost."

Hagrid snorted. "A bit lost, my foot! The nerve of you two Weasleys—your brothers never caused these sorts of problems!"

"Our brothers are boring," said George. "We like to have a bit of fun."

"You call almost being et by an Acromantula a bit of fun?" Hagrid shook his enormous, shaggy head. "Well, I hope this scared some sense into yeh. C'mon, then. Afore I call your Heads of House down, I'll dry yeh off and get yeh warmed up. I owe yeh that much, since I doused yeh and all. Who set the fire?"

"Maisie," said Fred.

"That's a nice bit of casting, Maisie," said Hagrid.

"I guess I got a bit carried away," said Maisie sheepishly.

"Eh, don' worry about it. Trees'll grow back. And you scared the spiders off; reckon they won't come round this way much anymore. Did me a favor, really. They've been getting too brave, them spiders." He beckoned with a hand the size of a dustpan. "What yeh standing there for? C'mon! Yeh must be freezing."

They were, but a brisk walk to Hagrid's warmed them right up. Once inside, he insisted they stand right in front of his roaring fireplace while he made each of them an enormous cup of hot chocolate. It was delicious, and warmed Maisie right down to her toes.

"This was great, Hagrid, thanks," she said.

"It's nothing, really. Tell yeh the truth, I quite like the company," said Hagrid.

"You like our company enough to keep you from telling McGonagall we were here?" said Fred.

Hagrid snorted. "Fat chance! I'm sick chasing you lot away from the forest. If a month of detention will straighten you out, so be it. We'll go up in a minute."

Pippa sighed. "Another detention. I won't tell my mum about this one. She's already pissed at me 'cause I didn't do so well on exams last year."

"You got "Exceeds Expectations" in everything, Pip," said Maisie.

"Hey, that's not too shabby!" said George.

"She thinks I should have done better." Pippa sighed again. "In school I always had As—that's the highest grade you can get in a Muggle school. If I had all As there, I should have all Os here. Or so she says."

"But that's rubbish," said Maisie. "You had no prior knowledge of magic before last year. How do you think I'd do if I were thrown into a Muggle school?"

"She'd flunk everything," said Fred.

Maisie glared at him, but she said, "I probably would. You're doing great, Pip, and you can tell your mum we all said so."

"Still," said Pippa with a weak smile, "I won't tell her about this round of detentions. Everybody's happier that way."

"So Hagrid," said George. "How long have there been Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest? Dumbledore never said anything about them."

"Hasn't he?" Hagrid shifted uncomfortably in his enormous chair. "Well, he ought to have done. They've been there for about fifty years now. Colony's getting a big too big for comfort, to be honest. But what can I do? Tell them to please stop having babies?"

"Do you think that would work?" said Maisie.

"Might," said Hagrid. "Their leader, Aragog, is an old friend of mine. He might see reason, or he might take offense. There's no telling."

"You're friends with an Acromantula?" said Fred, eyes wide.

"Known him since he were an egg," said Hagrid proudly. "Which is why it's safe for _me_ to go over that way—but _nobody else._ Understand?" He glared at the twins, then Maisie.

"Don't need to tell me twice," said Maisie. "Are there vampires out there, too?"

"I think so," said Hagrid. "That's what the centaurs tell me, anyway. We're lucky to have those centaurs. They keep the other things in check."

"Really?" said George. "They didn't seem to like humans much."

"They don't," said Hagrid, "but they like their blood in their bodies, same as anybody else."

Hagrid and Fang walked the miscreants back to the castle. He'd sent an owl ahead, so Professors McGonagall and Sprout awaited them in the entrance hall.

"Boys, this is the third time this term!" said McGonagall. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to write to your mother."

Fred and George blanched.

"You wouldn't!" said Fred.

"Have mercy, Professor!" said George.

"I shall not 'have mercy,' Mr. Weasley," said McGonagall. "If your mother can scare some sense into you two, I'm afraid I shall have to, as the Muggles say, 'call in the big guns.'"

"We've already discussed your punishment," said Professor Sprout. "A month's detention for each of you, to be served on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Ms. Wood and Ms. Bailey, you will be assisting me in the greenhouse. My sopophorous plants need fertilizing with mooncalf dung."

Pippa and Maisie wrinkled their noses but said nothing. As detentions went, greenhouse duty was not horrible.

"As for you two," said McGonagall. "Because you are the ringleaders of any trouble that goes on in this school, in addition to writing your mother, I must insist that you serve your detentions with Professor Snape. I'm sure he will think of things for you to do in the dungeons."

Fred and George groaned.

"Now off to bed, all of you," said McGonagall. "I realize that it is too much to ask that you never be out of bed after curfew again, so I ask instead that we not catch you for at least another month."

"We'll do our best, professor," said Fred solemnly.


	11. Year 2: March 15, 1991

The week of Hufflepuff's match against Gryffindor, Cedric Diggory got sick. He was coughing and sniffling during practice on Monday, and by Friday his symptoms had escalated to a full-blown flu, and he was confined to the hospital wing.

Watson was livid. "How dare he! We're only one hundred points behind Ravenclaw in the Quidditch Cup! Without a proper Seeker, we're done for!"

"Not done for," said Archie Ford. "We've got Wood."

"But she's never played a match!"

"So what?" said Ford. "We've seen her fly; she's fast as hell. She can do it."

"It's not as if we have a choice, anyway," said Callum reasonably.

"Wood'll get us through, Watson," said Owen.

"I can do it," said Maisie.

Watson sighed. "We're playing Gryffindor this week, and Charlie Weasley is the best Seeker the school's ever seen. No offense, Wood, but my expectations are low."

"None taken," said Maisie wryly.

The next morning was sunny and hot. Watson pulled Maisie aside at breakfast to give her final instructions.

"Stay on the shady side of the pitch," he said. "You don't want the sun to get in your eyes. The Snitch will catch the sunlight and you can go straight for it. Watch what Charlie Weasley's doing—not too closely, mind, or he'll feint you. If he goes for something, you should, too."

"Right." Maisie sighed. "I have played Seeker before, Watson. Not in a school match, but still."

"Right, right. Sorry. I'm just—good luck."

Several other second-years stopped by the Hufflepuff table to wish Maisie luck in the match.

"You'll need it, 'gainst Charlie Weasley," said Evie.

The Weasley twins even put in an appearance.

"Hello, Hufflepuffs," said Fred, sliding into a seat next to Maisie.

"And hello, Hufflepuff Seeker," said George, sliding in on Maisie's other side.

"Hi, guys," said Maisie.

"We just wanted to say good luck," said Fred.

"You'll need it, 'gainst the Gryffindor team," said George.

Fred grinned. "Especially our famous brother."

"He's very good."

"The best."

"And we just wanted you to know—"

"That if Charlie gets the Snitch first—"

"It's not your fault," the twins said in unison.

Maisie took a sip of pumpkin juice. "Did you rehearse that?"

"May have." Fred grinned cheekily. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you…comforted?"

"Bolstered?"

"Reassured?"

Maisie laughed. "That speech was supposed to make me feel better?"

"Well, yes," said George. "Did it not work?"

"Everybody keeps telling me I'm going to fail today," said Maisie. "How is that comforting?"

"We just meant," said Fred, "that you may be a fine Seeker—"

"You may even be a great Seeker," said George.

"But Charlie…he's been doing it longer, and he's the best Seeker Gryffindor's ever had," said Fred. "So don't feel bad if things go poorly today. That's all."

"Right." Maisie laughed grimly. "Thanks, guys. I'll see you on the pitch, yeah?"

She left them at the Hufflepuff table. Owen and Bryony ran to catch up to her.

"You'll be great," said Owen. "You're a good flier."

"And you're always telling me that your brother trained you in every Quidditch position," said Bryony. "You can do this!"

"Not against the great Charlie Weasley, I can't," said Maisie sarcastically. She sighed. "They're probably right. I probably won't get the Snitch. But maybe I can keep him off it long enough for Hufflepuff to score more than a hundred points. That's what we need to advance in the Quidditch cup."

"That's the spirit," said Bryony.

The match began quickly, with a goal for either side within minutes. Two of the Gryffindor Chasers, Angelina and Alicia, were in Maisie's year, and they were very good. Oliver, of course, was an excellent Keeper; Bryony, Callum, and Archie were hard-pressed to score on him. But they managed it several times by circling behind the goalposts and passing the Quaffle over the top.

About ten minutes into the match, Maisie decided to try something. She started, as if she'd seen something, and went into a steep dive. The stands erupted with screaming.

"It looks as though Wood has spotted the Snitch!" Lee's voice reverberated through Maisie's skull; his microphone was too loud. "Look at her go! She only flies a Cleansweep Six—and there's Charlie Weasley, hot on her tail! C'mon, Charlie, catch her!"

Lee's commentary was not known to be impartial.

The bright green grass of the pitch rushed toward her. The wind of Maisie's descent made her eyes water. At the very last moment, Maisie pulled up on the handle of her broom and spiraled away.

"Oh, no!" said Lee. "Charlie's on the ground! That looked like a nasty crash!"

Maisie pulled up again, dodging a Bludger and two Chasers, and circled the top of the field, searching for a telltale glint of gold. She spared only a glance for Charlie Weasley; he staggered to his feet moments after his crash, so he would be all right. She could apologize later.

She did two laps of the field and didn't spot the Snitch. Charlie was back in the air, dried blood on his face, and Gryffindor had scored twice more.

"Angelina Johnson scores! Ten points to Gryffindor!" said Lee. "They lead on Hufflepuff, ninety to sixty!"

"Get my brother!" Maisie shouted to Owen as he zoomed by.

The next time Callum took a shot, Owen was ready with a Bludger. It hit Oliver squarely in the side of the head, and he rolled on his broom. The Gryffindor stands cried out in dismay.

"Not so hard!" Maisie yelled.

"You told me to get him!" Owen shouted back. "Make up your bloody mind!"

At least he didn't get a penalty, Maisie thought.

Oliver stayed on his broom, but he looked a little disoriented, and missed Callum's next two shots. By the time Bryony got the Quaffle again, he looked more like himself, and blocked it.

"That's good," Maisie muttered. "Mum would've killed me if we did brain damage."

Something caught her eye: Charlie was diving for something.

"Charlie Weasley takes a dive!" said Lee.

Maisie leaned down until her chin touched her broomstick. The old broom responded, and flew after Charlie at alarming speed. Maisie squinted against the wind. Had Charlie seen the Snitch, or was he trying to feint?

She caught up to him, and for a heart-stopping moment they were neck and neck. Maisie wasn't sure she could check her speed; feint or not, she would crash into the ground.

It was a feint: Charlie pulled up at the last second. Maisie pulled back on her broom as hard as she could. She braked, and pulled up, but not quite enough. Her broom bumped the ground, and Maisie banged her knees. She stayed on, and the broom skipped along the grass like a stone on water. Maisie gritted her teeth against the pain as her knees were battered.

There! In the corner of her eye, a flash of gold. Maisie pulled up again—she was about ten feet of the ground—and did a hairpin turn, rolling in midair. The Snitch was beneath the Hufflepuff stands.

"C'mon," she whispered, and urged her broom onward.

"There goes Wood!" said Lee. "It looks like she's got something! Is it for real this time?"

Where was Charlie? Maisie didn't dare look up. If he got to the Snitch before she did…

He came down right in front of her, blocking her. Maisie rolled away and passed him, but the Snitch had disappeared by the time she reached the stands. She pulled back on her broom so hard she almost flipped over, and flew straight up.

"And the Golden Snitch is gone again!" said Lee. "I saw it under the stands over there, and both Seekers were nearly on top of it, but Charlie's maneuver distracted them, and the Snitch escaped! Webb has the Quaffle, he passes to Griffiths—she dodges a Bludger—"

Bryony scored a minute later. Hufflepuff was in the lead again, but only by ten points.

The match dragged on. Lee announced that this was the longest Quidditch game played at Hogwarts in fifteen years. Leah Dixon, Hufflepuff's Keeper, was in rare form, and blocked nearly everything that Gryffindor threw at her. Fred and George, Gryffindor's Beaters, took a few shots at Leah, but after two penalty shots to Hufflepuff (which Archie scored), they stopped. Maisie managed to trick Charlie into a second feint by flying horizontally instead of diving; he narrowly avoided crashing into the professors' box.

"Charlie Weasley has met his match!" Lee said. "In six years of Hogwarts Quidditch, Charlie has only crashed twice—that's what it says here—and lost the Snitch an average of twice per season. But Maisie Wood, whose older brother is Gryffindor's excellent Keeper, is keeping him on his toes!"

"Thanks, Lee!" Maisie yelled as she flew by the stands. He waved cheerily at her. Lee might be fiercely competitive, but he and Maisie had been friends since they were eight.

"The score stands at Hufflepuff, one hundred and ten—Gryiffndor, eighty!" said Lee.

We did it, Maisie thought. We scored a hundred points. We won't be last in the Quidditch Cup this year. Cedric will be pleased.

Two Gryffindor goals later, Charlie Weasley dove again. Maisie spotted the Snitch a moment after he did, glinting tantalizingly above the Hufflepuff goal posts. She wrapped her legs tightly around her broomstick, leaned forward, and shot off like a rocket.

We really ought to wear goggles, Maisie thought as the goalposts rushed toward her and her eyes filled with tears. She blinked the tears away. Charlie had nearly reached the goalposts. Leah dove out of the way.

Maisie had never flown so fast. It was exhilarating. She yelled out of sheer jubilation. Charlie turned his head, and the momentary delay allowed Maisie to almost catch him.

"The two Seekers are neck-and-neck again!" said Lee. "Let's hope the Snitch stays put long enough, though if someone flew at me that fast screaming like a banshee I'd run like hell!"

"Language, Mr. Jordan!" The microphone picked up McGonagall's voice.

Charlie leaned lower over his broom. Maisie would have done the same, but she wasn't sure her old broom could go any faster than it was. She leaned slightly to the left and tried to jostle him, but it was like trying to knock over a brick wall.

The Snitch was just ahead. It was trying to get away; they both veered sharply right to follow it. Maisie had to make the tighter turn, and lost a bit of speed. Charlie pulled ahead—just barely—and snagged the Snitch with his fingertips.

"Charlie Weasley catches the Snitch! Gryffindor wins, two hundred and fifty to one hundred and ten!"

Charlie did a lap of the pitch, waving the caught Snitch. His team fell into formation behind him, screaming their victory. The Gryffindor stands were beside themselves.

Maisie pulled up her broom, breathing heavily. Despite the loss, she felt deeply satisfied. A warm sense of triumph brewed in her core. Hufflepuff would not be last in the Quidditch Cup. Maisie had not completely embarrassed herself as Seeker.

Bryony pulled up next to her. "That was close! But we scored a hundred points."

"Yes! Well done, you!"

"I only scored a few times," said Bryony. "Your brother's a damn good Keeper."

"Yeah, he is," said Maisie proudly. "I should check he's all right. Owen really nailed him with that Bludger."

"Ah, he'll be fine. He's down there with his team, celebrating."

"Still, I should check. I told Owen to do it."

Bryony laughed. "I didn't realize you were so competitive! A Bludger to the head is brutal!"

"I didn't tell him to hit Oliver in the head!" Maisie protested.

"Well, that's a relief!" Bryony was still laughing. "I was going to tell Oliver to watch out for his life!"

They landed by the goalposts just as Leah touched down.

"That was real close, Maisie. Well done," Leah said.

"Thanks! You had some good saves today."

"Only a couple. Those Gryffindor Chasers are good!"

The Hufflepuff team left the pitch with their arms around each other. They would not be last in the Quidditch Cup that year. It improved their House Cup standing considerably.

Their good mood was shared by all Hufflepuffs; there was a party in the common room when they returned from the showers. When the party died down, it was time for dinner, but nobody was very hungry anymore. They sat at their house table, eagerly discussing the match.

"You were spectacular!" Archie said to Maisie. "Is there any position you can't play?"

"To be honest, I've always thought I was a rubbish Beater," Maisie admitted.

Archie laughed loudly; several Ravenclaws turned to stare. "Oh, that's funny. You, a rubbish Beater!"

"It's true!" Maisie said, but she was drowned out.

Later, as the students were clearing out of the dining hall, someone tapped on Maisie's shoulder. It was Charlie Weasley.

"Hey," said Charlie. "I just wanted to say good job today."

"Oh, thanks," said Maisie. "That's nice of you to say. You, too. You almost got me with that feint."

"No, I mean it," said Charlie earnestly. "I got you once, but you got me three times. I've never seen a Hogwarts player feint like that, and I've never seen anybody anywhere dive like you did. What kind of broom do you ride?"

"A Cleansweep Six."

"You're joking." Charlie shook his head. "Don't go spreading this around, but I really thought you'd get the Snitch after I watched you fly."

"But I didn't."

"It was a near thing, though. When I heard your battle cry, my heart stopped."

"Battle cry?"

"You know, that scream you did at the end. Do you do that often? With that and a Bludger, you'd scare anybody out of their pants."

"Oh." Maisie frowned, trying to remember. "I think I was just…excited. I'd never flown a broom that fast before."

"Well, it gave me pause, and then you almost got the Snitch," Charlie said. "Well done, you. You're Oliver's sister, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"He should be proud of you."

"I'm proud of him."

"As you should be! He's a spanking good Keeper."

"I'll pass on the compliment." Maisie smiled. "Thanks, Charlie. Good game today—really."

"Same to you, of course," said Charlie. "I'll follow your Quidditch career with interest."

Maisie turned bright red.


	12. Year 2: May 29, 1991

The Hufflepuff room was uncommonly quiet as everyone studied for their exams. It was far from silent—people were practicing charms, quizzing each other, or talking to themselves—but it was much quieter than usual, when five games of wizard chess might be going on at any one time.

"I'll never remember all this!" Bryony put both hands to her head. "Maisie, tell it to me again."

Maisie sighed. "Bry, me telling you won't do any good. You have to _study_ it."

"But I don't understand it!"

"So just memorize it! You'll get some points. Even Snape's not that heartless."

"Isn't he?" said Owen. "I'm not so sure."

"Maybe to Gryffindors," said Maisie. "He hates Gryffindor. But to us he's all right."

"Right," said Owen. "Because who can hate a Hufflepuff? We're so nice and loyal."

Pippa and Jasper were practicing for Charms by jinxing each other.

" _Petrificus totalus_!" said Pippa.

Jasper stiffened, but only momentarily. "You 'ave to 'elax your 'and arm, Pip," he said through a partially frozen jaw.

"Right," said Pippa. She raised her wand again. " _Petrificus totalus_!"

Jasper hit the floor with a thud.

"We should have put cushions down," said Jimmy. "Sorry, Jasper."

"He'll be fine," said Evie. "Me next. Stand there, Jimmy."

Maisie turned back to her old Charms essays, which she was revising in preparation for the exam. Flitwick was known to recycle essay questions. Owen, sitting next to her, was reviewing Herbology flashcards, muttering the uses of dittany under his breath. Despite Professor Sprout's soothing presence, Owen hated Herbology.

A strange thumping near the entrance of the common room drew every Hufflepuff's attention.

"Is someone trying to break in?" said Leah Dixon.

Archie Ford laughed. "Five Sickles says they'll fail."

"Save your money, Ford," said Callum. "Nobody will take that action."

Catriona Tallis rose to her feet. "Stay calm, everyone," she said in her "prefect voice."

"Do we seem upset to you?" said Ford.

The thumping resounded again. The common room was silent for the first time in living memory.

Catriona drew her wand.

The floor shook, and there was a rumbling sound in the walls. Several people jumped up; others screamed. Bryony and Maisie ran toward the common room entrance, wands drawn.

"What are you doing?" cried Owen.

"Stay back, you two!" said Catriona.

The rumbling grew louder. Outside the common room, two people yelled loudly.

"Hey, that's the twins!" said Maisie.

"The Weasleys?" said Bryony.

Catriona looked affronted. "Are they trying to break into our common room?"

"Judging by the rumbling, they definitely failed!" Archie appeared at Maisie's side, grinning broadly. "Let's go see the results!"

Catriona opened the door to the common room, and everyone crowded round.

The Weasley twins were slumped against the far wall, soaking wet. Vinegar dripped from the ends of their hair and every crease in their robes. The corridor was awash with vinegar, although it was slowly draining itself away to some secret place.

Maisie and Bryony burst out laughing. The pressure of the crowd behind them forced them into the corridor. As more Hufflepuffs poured out of the common room, the laughter got louder.

Fred pushed his wet hair away from his face and spat vinegar. "What's so funny, you lot?"

"We were coming to say hello!" George sputtered.

Catriona crossed her arms. "Admittance to other houses' common rooms is forbidden, Misters Weasley." She was clearly struggling not to smile. "Ten points from Gryffindor for each of you."

"This is legendary!" said Archie. "I've always heard of the security measures in place on the common room, but nobody's ever tried to break in before!"

"How'd you even know this was the place?" said Maisie.

"We followed you from the kitchen one night," said Fred. "We watched you knock on the barrel and everything."

"We know it was the right barrel, because it opened up to let you all out," said George. "Where'd we go wrong? Does the barrel know we're not Hufflepuffs?"

"Nobody tell them!" said Catriona. "Shame on you. Nobody here would dream of trying to sneak into the Gryffindor common room."

"We weren't sneaking!" said Fred. "We were coming to pay our friends a visit."

"Hello, Mays," said George.

"Hey, guys." Maisie was grinning from ear to ear. "Wait until I tell Oliver about this!"

Fred and George groaned.

"We'd really rather you didn't," said Fred.

"Well, now I have to," said Maisie. "And Oliver will tell Charlie, and Charlie will tell your mum."

"No, he won't," said George. "Charlie wouldn't do that to us?"

"Wouldn't he?" Maisie crossed her arms.

"No," said Fred uncertainly.

The other Hufflepuffs went back inside, but Maisie and her friends took their "visitors" to the kitchen to dry off and have a snack.

"So how's the revising going?" George asked.

"It's terrible," said Owen. "I'm going to flunk Herbology."

"No, you're not," said Maisie. "It'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say," said Owen. "You're some kind of Herbology genius."

"I pay attention in class, Owen."

"Exactly!" Owen flung his arms out melodramatically. "You're a genius!"

"Herbology's not so bad," said George. "It's Potions you got to watch out for. Snape's a harsh grader."

"That's true," said Pippa. "He's never given me above an 'Acceptable' on any of my potions."

"He's worse to the Gryffindors," said Fred. "Trust me."

"It probably doesn't help that you prank him every chance you get," said Bryony.

"How can we resist?" said George.

"He's such an easy target!" said Fred.

Jimmy laughed. "That's true. The other day I asked him who died—you know, because he's always wearing black-"

"Yes, Jimmy, we all get the joke," said Bryony.

"Anyway, he took twenty points from Hufflepuff for 'cheek.'" Jimmy shook his head ruefully.

"It was worth it, though, right?" said George.

"Oh, absolutely."

They chatted over tea for another half-hour before Bryony insisted that they return to revising.

"Our Potions exam is tomorrow," she said, "and I still need to memorize the ingredients for a Sleeping Draught."

"That reminds us," said Fred.

"We should start revising," George finished with a cheeky grin.

Maisie rolled her eyes. "You guys are so full of shit."

"Do our ears deceive us?" said Fred. "Did a dirty curse word fall from fair Maisie's lips?"

"You kiss your brother with that mouth?" said George.

"Yeah, Mays," said Owen. "Watch your fucking language!"

Pippa gasped theatrically, which made them all laugh.

The Hufflepuffs returned to the common room—checking over their shoulders for spying Weasleys or Lee, who was conspicuous by his absence—and studied with a will for the rest of the day.

They all passed Potions with flying colors.

 **A/N: Welcome to the fic, by the way. Thanks for reading! This will be the first in a series of fics (this one will go until the end of Harry's first year) extending at least to the end of DH. This will not be a Golden Trio-centric fic and will be pretty canon compliant. I really want to focus on how events in Harry's life affected the rest of the school. No ships yet because they are babies.**


	13. Summer 1991: Muggle Post

Maisie and Lee hung upside-down from their brooms twenty feet off the ground. The first one to fall or roll over owed the other five Dungbombs. Oliver stood below them, ready to catch whoever fell.

"Guys, c'mon," said Oliver. "The sun's going down. This is dumb. You both have Dungbombs already."

"If you think it's so dumb, Ollie, you can go," said Maisie in a choked voice.

"But what if you fall and get hurt? Mum would skin me." Oliver shook his head.

Lee groaned loudly.

"Feeling woozy, Lee?" said Maisie.

"Not even a little bit."

"Good. Me neither." Maisie's head felt like it was going to burst. She'd lost feeling below her knees. The view of the ground from this angle had lost its novelty. But she refused to surrender.

Lee groaned again and lost his grip on his broom.

"Oh, thank God!" Maisie clumsily righted her broom, gasping as the blood rushed out of her head. She saw spots. "Lee, you okay?"

"I'm fine!" said Lee in a strangled voice.

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking." Oliver's voice was muffled because Lee had knocked him down.

"That's good." Maisie landed her broom and dismounted, shaking her legs to restore the feeling. "Lee, I'll accept payment at the next available opportunity. Whenever's convenient for you."

They solemnly shook hands, and Lee jogged off toward his house.

Maisie turned to Oliver. "Race you home?"

Oliver hesitated. "We might be seen."

"No way," said Maisie. "It's getting dark. No Muggles live between here and home. Where's that legendary Gryffindor courage, Ollie?"

"Speaking of, why aren't you in Gryffindor?" said Oliver.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. You seem enough like a Gryffindor. You like a dare."

Maisie shrugged. "I don't know. Being a Gryffindor wouldn't be so bad. But the Hat said I belonged in Hufflepuff, and I love it there. You don't need to be a Gryffindor to like having fun, Ollie."

"Fair enough." Oliver mounted his broom. "All right, I'll race you. But don't cry if you lose."

Maisie snorted. "Please. I haven't lost a race to you since I was nine."

"Yeah, and you cried every time," said Oliver, "so I started letting you win."

"Ass!" Maisie gasped. "Well, don't do me any favors this time. Fly all-out, Wood, and if you hold back, I'll know."

They took off, flying low over the trees in case any Muggles were looking. They took opposite sides around a particularly tall pine, and Maisie lost track of Oliver. When she spotted him again, he'd pulled ahead by a few hundred yards. Cursing, Maisie leaned low over her broom. It responded eagerly, and almost matched her speed in the Quidditch match against Charlie Weasley.

Maisie whooped. She loved flying.

Oliver won the race, but not by much. Maisie coasted to a landing as he was dismounting.

"Well flown, Wood," said Oliver.

"Same to you, Wood." Maisie brushed her wild hair back from her face.

Oliver snorted. "Did you fly through a birds' nest on the way here?"

"Did you sleep in a birds' nest last night?"

"What? That makes no sense."

"You make no sense!"

Oliver shook his head, laughing. "Whatever, Mouse. Let's put our brooms away and go to dinner."

When they went inside, Dad was standing by the front door, staring at the mat.

"Dad? What is it?" said Oliver.

"There's a letter on the mat," said Dad.

"A letter?"

"Yes."

"How'd it get there?" said Maisie.

"I don't know," said Dad. "The mail slot opened about an hour ago, and it just fell out."

"Oh, I've heard of this!" Maisie said. "Pippa says that's how Muggles get their mail!"

"There was a Muggle here?" said Oliver. "Shit, I hope he didn't see anything."

"He can't have done," said Dad. "The curtains were drawn, and there's nothing strange in the front garden."

"Doesn't the water fountain move on its own?" said Maisie.

"Not anymore," said Dad. "The charm wore off while you were at school."

"Well, then we're probably okay," said Maisie. "Who's the letter for?"

"You."

"Oh, I bet it's from Pippa!" Maisie eagerly snatched up the letter, which was indeed addressed to her. "Look, it has stamps and everything! Muggles are so interesting!"

"Excited for your Muggle Studies class, Mouse?" said Oliver.

"Yes! Bryony and I are taking it together, for Pip."

"There's another letter for you, Mouse," said Dad, "but it arrived the normal way. Bloody owl fell into the window box. My begonias will never be the same."

Maisie read her letters while Dad got dinner ready. They all sat down when Mum got home from work.

"Guess what?" said Maisie.

"No," said Oliver.

Maisie rolled her eyes. "Pippa's brother is coming to Hogwarts! He got the letter two days ago. I can't believe it! Pippa says she never noticed anything strange about him at all."

"That's odd," said Mum. "Normally you can tell when children are magic. I remember when Ollie floated out of his crib. He almost went out the window!"

"Yes, Mum, we know," said Oliver.

"And the Mouse made her teddy bear sing lullabies," said Dad. "Remember Mr. Bear, Mouse?"

"Yes, Dad," said Maisie. "He's still on my bed."

"I didn't know that," said Oliver. "Did he come to Hogwarts with you?"

Maisie shook her head. "I don't think anybody would mind, though. Pippa sleeps with a plush unicorn."

"How'd she react when you told her unicorns were real?" said Mum.

"She squealed, and signed up for Care of Magical Creatures at the first available opportunity."

"So, last month," said Oliver.

"What was the other letter?" said Dad. "The normal one?"

"It was from Fred Weasley," said Maisie. "His brother Charlie got a job working with dragons! I'm so jealous."

"Really, Maisie? Dragons are so dangerous," said Mum.

"Are you _sure_ you're not a Gryffindor?" said Oliver.

"Gryffindors are gross." Maisie wrinkled her nose. "But dragons are awesome! I'd love to see one just once."

"We could go to Wales on holiday," Dad said. "There are still wild Welsh Greens out there."

"Eddie, no! Absolutely not!" said Mum. "We are not going dragon hunting on holiday!"

"No, Lyra, of course not," said Dad, but he winked at Maisie.


	14. Year 3: September 1, 1991

The train had been moving for thirty minutes before Pippa found Bryony and Maisie. Joscelind was out of her carrier, and Maisie and Bryony were talking about Hogsmeade.

"The Shrieking Shack is supposed to be the most haunted building in Britain," said Maisie. "Personally, I find that hard to believe. There are so many ghosts at Hogwarts!"

"Yes, but they're all friendly," said Bryony. "I think when they say the Shrieking Shack is haunted, they mean nasty ghosts."

"There's a difference?" Maisie spotted Pippa in the corridor. "Oh, hey, Pip!"

Pippa struggled to get her owl's cage through the door. "I've been looking for you for ages! This is my brother, Hamish." She gestured to a tiny boy with white-blond ringlets exactly like hers.

"Hello, Hamish," said Bryony. "Let me give you a hand with that, Pip."

"Bryony and I were just talking about the Shrieking Shack," said Maisie. "It's in Hogsmeade, which is the village near Hogwarts, and it's supposed to be the most haunted building in Britain!"

Hamish's blue eyes were like saucers. "But it's not really haunted, is it?"

"Of course it is," said Bryony. "Hogwarts is haunted, too. Didn't Pippa tell you?"

Hamish looked between Maisie and Bryony suspiciously. "You're messing with me," he said uncertainly.

"We're not," said Maisie.

"They're not kidding," Pippa said. "I told you about the Fat Friar."

"I thought you were joking."

Bryony and Maisie laughed.

"You're in for so many surprises, Hamish!" Maisie said.

They were teaching Hamish Exploding Snap when Owen and Jimmy found them.

"Is this your brother, Pippa?" said Jimmy.

"Yes, this is Hamish. How'd you know? I didn't write to you and tell you he was coming."

"You mentioned a brother once. Plus, he looks just like you."

"No, I don't!" said Hamish hotly.

"No, he doesn't," said Owen. "Hamish's hair is much curlier than Pippa's."

Hamish spluttered and blushed while the others laughed.

When the snack trolley came, they treated Hamish to a full range of Wizarding sweets.

"I'm sorry she didn't have Peppermint Toads, Mays," said Owen.

"That's all right. We can get some at Honeyduke's!"

"Legally, this time," said Owen.

"It's always been legal to buy candy," said Maisie with dignity.

"Is it legal to break into a storeroom and take candy?"

"I always leave money!"

"Do you really?" Bryony laughed. "You would, Mays."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're so _moral_ ," Jimmy said.

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"Of course it isn't!" said Pippa. "Don't listen to them, Maisie. Any of them would've done the same thing. It's that Hufflepuff sense of fair play."

The entire compartment groaned. Hamish was a moment behind the others.

"What house do you think you'll be in, Hamish?" said Bryony.

"I hadn't thought," said Hamish. "Maybe Ravenclaw?"

"Ravenclaw, really?" said Jimmy. "I didn't think any brother of Pippa's could be that smart."

"Says the boy who asks for my help in Potions every single week!"

"She's got you there, mate," said Owen.

Lee and the twins turned up half an hour later, already in their Hogwarts robes.

"You changed early," said Maisie.

"We were in the toilets anyway," said Lee.

"I dropped a Dungbomb," said Fred.

"Completely an accident," said George.

"So we ducked into the toilets to escape."

"Who walked into the Dungbomb?" said Maisie.

"Marcus Flint."

"Oh, well done!" Maisie high-fived each of them.

"Hello, Hufflepuffs," said George. "Who's this tiny blond pipkin?"

"Pippa's brother, obviously," said Fred. "Look at those perfect curls. Do you reckon he's another goody-goody Hufflepuff, George?"

"Hard to tell, Fred. His sister's record is hardly spotless."

"Too true, too true. Well, whatever you do, pipkin—"

"Hamish."

"—make sure you're in the same House as Harry Potter!"

"He has no control over that," said Pippa, but she was drowned out by four other voices exclaiming:

" _Harry Potter_!"

"He's here?" said Owen. "Are you sure?"

"Is he eleven already?" said Jimmy. "Merlin, we're getting old."

"Yeah, he's here," said Fred. "We met him, didn't we, Georgie?"

"Sure did, Freddie! He was in the station all by his lonesome. We showed him how to get onto the platform."

"Had no idea who he was," said Fred.

"We helped him get his trunk onboard," said George.

"And he pushed his hair back from his forehead—"

"And we saw—"

" _The scar_!" said the twins in unison.

Bryony, Owen, Maisie, and Jimmy gasped.

Pippa said, "Who's Harry Potter?"

"Pippa!" said George, aghast. "Do you mean to tell me you've been in the magical world for two—whole—years—and you've no idea who Harry Potter is?"

"I don't know, either," Hamish piped up.

"Be quiet, Hambone," said Fred. "Pull up your chairs, kids, and Lee will tell us the tale!"

Maisie knew the story, of course, but Lee was an exceptional storyteller. Pippa and Hamish were riveted.

"That's so horrible!" said Pippa when Lee finished. "That poor boy!"

"Has he really been living with Muggles?" said Jimmy.

Fred shrugged. "Didn't ask. Don't think he's been living in the wizarding world, though."

"Do you think the Muggles knew he was magic?" said Bryony.

"It's hard to miss if your baby's magic," said Lee. "I set my mum on fire while she was changing my nappy. Gave her second-degree burns."

"You really shouldn't brag about that, mate," said Fred.

By the time they pulled into Hogsmeade Station, the whole train was talking of Harry Potter.

"Where is he?" Maisie craned her neck, trying to see over the other students. "Owen, you're tall."

"I don't know what he looks like!" said Owen.

"He was sitting with Ickle Ronnie earlier," said Fred. "Look for our red hair, but on a shorter human."

"Never mind," said Bryony. "We'll see him in the Great Hall. C'mon, this carriage has room."

The eight of them barely squeezed into the carriage. Maisie sat on Owen's lap to make room. Owen wouldn't look directly at Maisie for the whole ride.

"I hope Hamish is all right," Pippa said.

"Course he's all right," said George. "He's with Hagrid."

"I hope he isn't scared. There's so much I didn't think to warn him about. I'm a horrible sister!"

"No, you're not," Maisie said. "Oliver didn't tell me jack shit before I came."

"Yeah, but you grew up in the magical world. Hamish has never seen any of this stuff!"

"He'll be fine," Bryony said. "I bet he's loving it."

Everyone paid more attention than usual to the Sorting. Harry Potter was sorted into Gryffindor, to much applause. The twins' chanting was audible over the hubbub: "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

"That's too bad," said Bryony.

"Hardly surprising, though," said Archie Ford, who was sitting nearby. "Both his parents were in Gryffindor."

Ron Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor—no surprise there—and the feast began.

"Too bad Hamish is in Ravenclaw," Pippa said. "I was hoping we'd be in the same House!"

"He'll be fine, Pip," Maisie said. "He doesn't need his sister hovering over him. Look at me and Ollie."

"Yeah, you guys are a paragon of siblinghood," said Bryony drily. "Didn't he break your arm over the summer?"

"It was an accident!" said Maisie. "He knocked me off my broom. Dad healed it in a trice. It's fine."

"Fine, really?" Pippa shook her head. "Magic is amazing!"


	15. Year 3: October 17, 1991

"Pippa, do you have my purple jumper?" Maisie rummaged through her trunk, looking for a second sock that matched.

"Yeah." Pippa tossed the jumper at Maisie. "I borrowed it last week. It's such a nice color."

"I'm sure it looked lovely on you." Maisie pulled the jumper over her head and found a sock that was close enough to matching. "We'd better hurry, or we'll miss the carriages."

To punctuate this, Bryony poked her head around the door. "Hurry up, you guys! Catriona is leaving!"

"We don't all need to walk together, Bry," said Maisie. "Just because Cat's Head Girl doesn't mean she has to lead us _everywhere._ "

"Well, I don't want to be left behind, so I'm going." Bryony disappeared.

Pippa looked in her wallet. "I promised Hamish I'd get him something at Honeydukes. What do you think he'd like?"

"I have no idea," said Maisie. "He's your brother, Pip."

"Well, I know what Muggle sweets he likes," Pippa said as they hurried to the common room. "I thought you could help me find wizarding counterparts."

"Why me?"

"I sent you that package of Muggle sweets for Christmas last year," said Pippa. "You've had experience with them."

"I don't remember what any of them were," said Maisie as they followed the others down the corridor to the entrance hall. "Does Hamish like chocolate?"

"Yes, he loves it."

"Can't go wrong with Chocolate Frogs, then," said Maisie. "And he can start collecting the cards and learning about famous witches and wizards and whatnot."

Nearly every student in third year and upwards was milling around in the entrance hall. Filch and McGonagall stood by the door, checking Hogsmeade permission slips. Maisie and the others got in the queue, which wasn't a queue so much as a horde.

"I'd like to do some of my Christmas shopping in Hogsmeade this year," Pippa said. "Mum and Dad would love some of this magical stuff."

"You have to be careful about that," said Owen. "You could accidentally break the Statute of Secrecy with a Sneakoscope or something."

Pippa's eyes grew wide.

"He's joking," said Maisie, "but he also has a point. Nothing too…flashy."

They reached the front of the crowd. McGonagall checked their names off the list, and Filch gave them a warning glare before they were allowed into the courtyard. Bryony and Jimmy were waiting for them.

"There you are!" said Bryony. "Let's go get a carriage."

Once they were settled—nobody on anybody's lap this time—Jimmy said, "I think I'm more excited about Zonko's than Honeydukes."

"What's at Zonko's that's so exciting?" said Pippa.

"I don't know," said Jimmy, "but that's the fun of it, isn't it?"

"It's a joke shop," Maisie explained. "That's probably where Lee and the twins will be."

Owen snorted. "I imagine Honeydukes has lost its sparkle for the Weasley twins."

"Going to the village without sneaking around is a thrill all its own," said Maisie.

"That's easy for you to say," said Owen. "How come none of us have seen this famous tunnel?"

"The fewer people know, the less likely Filch'll find out."

"Yeah, all right, fine. The twins found out about the tunnel, and Lee's their best mate. But why'd they include you, Mays?"

Maisie shrugged. "We're friends. They invited Bry and Pip, too."

"What?" Owen looked accusingly at Bryony and Pippa. "When was this?"

"Back in first year," said Bryony. "When we all explored the castle at night together."

"You did what? And you never invited me?"

"We didn't know you wanted to come," Pippa said. "We're sorry."

"Anyway, it wasn't our show," said Bryony. "The twins did all the planning."

"I always wondered why you lot had detention so often," said Jimmy in awe. "Blimey! Did you see anything cool?"

"A few things," said Pippa. "We used to go into the Forbidden Forest."

" _At night_?!"

"Calm down, Owen, or you'll blow the roof off," said Bryony.

"You went into the Forbidden Forest at night, and you didn't die?" said Jimmy. "How?"

"Lucky, I guess." Maisie shrugged.

"Have you met any centaurs?"

"A few," said Bryony. "They're really unfriendly."

"Unbelievable!" Owen threw up his hands. "You lot were seeing things we've only read about—and you didn't share that with us!"

"Don't include me in this," said Jimmy. "I'm fine with not going into the Forbidden Forest. There's a reason it's forbidden, isn't there?"

"Hagrid said there might be vampires in there," said Pippa. "We never found out for sure, which is fine by me." She shuddered.

"Unbelievable!" Owen said. "I am hurt, guys, hurt. Didn't you trust me?"

"Told you, Owen," said Bryony, "it was the twins' plan. We just got invited."

"Speaking of inviting," said Pippa, "we haven't gone out this year. Are the twins keeping their noses clean?"

Maisie snorted. "That's likely."

The carriage stopped; they'd reached Hogsmeade. They all scrambled to get out and follow the stream of eager students towards the village.

"Mays!" It was Lee, followed closely by the twins. "Fancy a trip to Zonko's? I need more Dungbombs, and they're supposed to have Fanged Frisbees."

"Fanged Frisbees! I've always wanted one of those!" Maisie looked to the others. "You guys want to go?"

"Yes, let's!" said Jimmy enthusiastically.

"Then can we go to Spintwitches Sporting Needs?" said Bryony. "I need new armguards."

On the occasions the twins had invited Maisie to Hogsmeade in previous years, they'd only been inside Honeydukes. Zonko's was even more exciting, filled with interesting sights, sounds, and smells. They did indeed stock Fanged Frisbees there, as well as Hiccup Sweets, Frogspawn Soap, and a toaster that tried to bite Jimmy's finger.

The twins and Lee spent all their pocket money and emerged with bulging bags. The Hufflepuffs showed slightly more restraint, though Maisie bought a Fanged Frisbee and Pippa got some Hiccup Sweets for Hamish in a fit of impishness.

"Are you sure it's not too mean?" Pippa said as they exited the shop. "How long will he hiccup for?"

"Who knows?" said Fred, laughing.

"It's fine, Pip," said Maisie. "Siblings are supposed to pick on one another."

They went into Spintwitches next. Although it was much smaller than Quality Quidditch Suppliers in Diagon Alley, they carried a few racing brooms. They all drooled over the new Nimbus Two Thousand.

"This reminds me," said Fred. "Did you hear that Harry Potter's on our Quidditch team?"

"He's only a first year!" said Owen. "Is that allowed?"

"Technically, no," said George. "But McGonagall made an exception because we needed a Seeker, and Harry pulled some stunt during his flying lesson that impressed her."

"Impressed McGonagall? You're joking," said Bryony.

"We never joke," said Fred with a straight face.

"But surely you knew, Mays?" said George. "Your brother's Quidditch Captain, after all."

"No, he's kept mum," said Maisie. "Maybe Harry's his secret weapon?"

"That sounds like Oliver," said Fred.

"Maybe we shouldn't have said anything," said George.

"No, you definitely should have said something!" said Owen. "When's your first match?"

"Mid-November, versus Slytherin," said Lee. "You'll all be there, of course."

"Of course," said Bryony. "We need to size up our competition."

"Are you the reserve player again, Owen?" said George.

"Yeah." Owen grimaced. "I tried to outfly Mays at tryouts, but I failed."

"I made reserve this year, too," said Jimmy proudly.

"Well done," said Fred. "Here's hoping for lots of illness on the Hufflepuff team."

"You and me both," said Owen, grinning. "If I'm lucky, Maisie will break a leg and be out for the season."

Maisie punched him in the arm, but he only laughed.

They had lunch in the Three Broomsticks, and laughed over Pippa's delighted reaction to butterbeer. Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet joined them after lunch, and they wandered through Honeyduke's, Gladrags Wizardwear, and the Dogweed and Deathcap greenhouse before they had to get on the carriages back to Hogwarts.

"That greenhouse was amazing!" said Maisie as they settled into their seats. "I'll write to Dad and ask after his garden. I bet he'd like something from Dogweed and Deathcap for Christmas."

"That name's a bit odd, isn't it," said George. "Dogweed and deathcap aren't magical or useful plants."

"Dogweed's pretty," said Maisie. "I think there's some in our garden."

"I was more interested in that Fanged Geranium," said Jimmy.

"Fancy losing a finger, Jimmy?" said Fred.

"That toaster looked completely innocent!"

"We were in Zonko's," said Bryony. "That should've been warning enough to keep your hands off."

"I'll know better next time," Jimmy grumbled.

When they got out of the carriages, Lee pulled Maisie to the side.

"The twins were talking about going into the forest. Fred says there are Acromantulas! Fancy a trip?"

"Not if you're going after the spiders again," Maisie said.

"What if we go nowhere near the spiders?"

"Then count me in," Maisie said. "Can we maybe bring Owen this time? I think he'd like to come."

Lee shrugged. "If he can keep his mouth shut."

"He will if I tell him he won't be invited otherwise," Maisie said.


	16. Year 3: November 10, 1991

It was warm all week, but a cold snap came just in time for the first Quidditch match of the season. There was frost on the windows when Maisie woke up.

"Ugh!" said Pippa. "It's freezing. I'd rather stay by the fire."

"And miss Harry Potter's first Quidditch match?" said Bryony. "Are you crazy?"

"I barely know him!" Pippa protested.

"None of us know him," Evie said, "but we know about him, don't we? It's Harry Potter!"

"I guess you had to grow up in the magical world to get it."

"Probably," said Maisie. "C'mon, Pip, it'll be fun. Everyone will be there. You can borrow anything of mine to stay warm."

During breakfast, Oliver sat down next to Maisie. "Morning, Mouse."

"Morning, Ollie."

"Mouse?" said Owen, eyebrows raised.

"Cause she's so small," said Oliver. "You excited to see the match, Mouse?"

"Oh, yeah," said Maisie through a mouthful of toast. "Especially your 'secret weapon.'"

Oliver grabbed her elbow. "Who told you about that?"

"Who do you think?"

"Lee!" Oliver glanced at the Gryffindor table. "When I get my hands on him—"

"It was Fred, actually."

"Oh. Well, I can't do anything to him. I need him today. But when this match is over—"

"You'll murder him in his sleep," said Maisie. "Anything else, Ollie?"

Oliver looked crestfallen. "Well, I was going to tell you about my 'secret weapon,' but since you know all about it…"

"We're excited." Maisie smiled at him. "You'll be great, Ollie. Beat Slytherin!"

"We will, Mouse! I'm sure of it!" Oliver clapped her on the shoulder and departed.

"We need to talk about this 'Mouse' thing," said Owen, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"Do we?" said Maisie.

"I think so," said Bryony.

"It's just a stupid childhood nickname," said Maisie. "I've outgrown it. I'm taller than people!"

Bryony snorted. "Yeah, the first years."

"That's not true, Bryony," said Pippa. "She's also taller than the second years."

Jimmy laughed. "Ouch! Pip coming in hot!"

"Pippa, how could you?" said Maisie, pretending to feel betrayed.

"Yeah, Pippa," said Owen. "You can hardly talk. You're even shorter than Maisie."

"I'm not short!" said Pippa and Maisie in unison.

The short jokes continued until they reached the Quidditch stands, including speculation that Flitwick was Pippa's grandfather. Scowling, Pippa and Maisie filed into the stands ahead of the others.

"Sorry, sorry," said Bryony, still laughing. "I'm sure it's a touchy subject."

Maisie shrugged. "Maybe a little."

The match began. Everyone cheered when Angelina scored only minutes into the game.

"Take that, Bletchley!" Owen punched the air.

Maisie watched the Weasley twins. They were better Beaters than she was; maybe she could learn something by observing them. While the Hufflepuff strategy involved Beaters shadowing Chasers as they moved down the field, the Gryffindor Beaters were all over the pitch, finding the Bludgers wherever they were. Maisie made a mental note to discuss this with Watson, who was still Quidditch Captain (somehow).

The stadium screamed when both Seekers went into a steep dive.

"It looks as though they've spotted the Snitch!" said Lee's amplified voice unnecessarily. "Potter is just ahead of Higgs on the dive—blocked by Slytherin Captain Flint! Tell me that's a foul!"

Madam Hooch awarded a penalty shot to Gryffindor. Alicia Spinnet easily scored on Bletchley, and three-quarters of the stadium erupted into cheers. Slytherin was not a popular team.

Despite their unpopularity—or perhaps because of it; some Slytherins seemed to feed on hate—the Slytherin team scored several times.

"C'mon, Ollie!" Maisie pounded the wooden railing. "You're better than that!"

Minutes later, Pippa's gasp drew Maisie's attention upwards: Harry Potter had lost control of his broom. It bucked about in the air, nearly sending Harry flying several times.

"How's he staying on?" said Pippa breathlessly.

"Kid's a damn good flyer," said Jimmy.

"Why's his broom going crazy?" said Bryony.

Lee, over the speakers, was similarly baffled. "What seems to be happening with Harry Potter's broom? It's a brand-new Nimbus Two Thousand—top model of the year—that should certainly not be malfunctioning like this!"

"You don't suppose it's foul play?" said Maisie.

"How?" said Jimmy. "Takes a lot to jinx a quality broom like that. It'd be beyond a student."

The Weasley twins tried to rescue Harry: they got as close to him as they could, and Fred reached for Harry's hand. But the broom jumped higher, as if it sensed their efforts. Instead they circled below Harry, ready to catch him when he fell. And it seemed certain that he would fall soon.

The rest of the game was a secondary concern as everyone watched Harry struggle with his broom. Marcus Flint scored three goals on Oliver while he wasn't looking.

"They won't count those points, surely!" said Maisie. "Oliver's more concerned about his player's safety!"

There was a minor commotion in the teachers' box; probably they were working out how to save Harry, who was dangling from his broomstick by one hand. Miraculously, Harry swung himself back on the broom, and flew a smooth, easy lap around the stadium.

The stands erupted into cheers.

"You can look now, Pip, he's all right!" said Jimmy. "He's back on the broom, and it's flying normally!"

"I reckon one of the professors did something," said Maisie. "They were making a big fuss over something a minute ago. I bet Dumbledore saved him."

Jimmy pointed. "Look! There he goes again!"

Harry was plummeting toward the pitch, but it was clearly a controlled dive. The Slytherin Seeker was hot on his tail. Maisie saw the Golden Snitch near the ground.

"It's there!" she screamed. "The Snitch is there!"

The Slytherin Seeker bumped Harry, who flew off his broom. Harry tumbled across the green pitch; his broom hit the ground and lay still. Harry sat up, looking woozy, and made retching motions.

"You think he's going to puke?" said Pippa.

Harry spat something into the palms of his hands. He held his clenched fist aloft, grinning jubilantly.

"Is it-? It is!" Lee whooped into the microphone, which was murder on everyone's ears. "Harry Potter has caught the Golden Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

The Hufflepuffs clapped and cheered, but the Gryffindor stands were beside themselves.

"They're acting like they didn't have Charlie Weasley as their Seeker last year," Owen muttered. "This is why people don't like Gryffindor. Nobody shows off like a Gryffindor."

"I don't know," said Jimmy. "If I could fly a broom like Harry Potter, maybe I'd show off, too."


	17. Year 3: December 10, 1991

The snow began falling before dawn, and by lunchtime it was nearly a foot deep. Maisie spent the morning in the common room, revising for her Care of Magical Creatures exam with Pippa and Bryony. Jimmy and Owen were outside enjoying the snow.

Most people at lunch were rosy-cheeked and had snow in their clothes.

"You guys are missing out!" Owen heaped his plate high with potatoes. "It's good snow. Packs perfectly. We had a snowball fight with Lee and the twins."

"Who won?" Maisie took a bite of beans.

Owen's face fell. "The twins. But they cheated!"

"It's not cheating," said Jimmy, laughing. "It's our own stupid fault for not thinking to use magic."

"What did they do?" said Bryony.

"They bewitched the snowballs. The snowballs came up behind us. We never saw it coming." Jimmy chuckled. "We're having a rematch after lunch. You keen?"

"Absolutely," said Maisie. "I'm sick of revising."

They ate quickly, hurried back to the dormitory for their coats, and tumbled out into the sunshine. The boys were down by the Black Lake, skimming stones across the ice.

"It's like knocking on the giant squid's door," said Fred.

"More like tap-dancing on his roof," said Maisie.

They chose teams for the snowball fight. Maisie was on a team with the three Gryffindors against her friends. While the Hufflepuffs built a fort, Maisie's team stockpiled snowballs in several strategic locations.

"We should ambush them now," said Lee.

"Yes," said Maisie, "but it wouldn't be fair. We should wait until they're ready. It wouldn't hurt us to build a fort, or at least a wall. It'll provide cover."

"I'd rather just dash in and throw like mad," said Fred.

Maisie snorted. "That's such a Gryffindor way of thinking! We need to be smart about this."

"Fine," said Fred. "Let's build a fort."

They put together a crude wall, just big enough for them to crouch behind, and prepared a cache of snowballs there.

"This is where we'll make our heroic last stand," said George.

Other students were engaged in similar activities all over the grounds. Hamish Bailey and a few other Ravenclaw first-years made a snow Hagrid near the real Hagrid's hut. Even the fifth, sixth, and seventh years, who had massive amounts of schoolwork, came out to enjoy the first snow of the year.

Finally, they were ready to begin. Maisie's team charged the Hufflepuff fort, throwing snowballs. Fred had charmed many of the snowballs to throw themselves repeatedly until they fell apart—and even then, the snow rolled around on the ground in valiant attempts to hit the opposing team.

Jimmy and Owen had learned from their mistakes, however, and some of their snowballs were similarly enchanted. One snowball was determined to smash itself into Maisie's face; she deflected it with her mitten, but it kept coming back, and finally managed to her face squarely.

"Argh!" Maisie clawed snow out of her eyes.

"Hang on, Mays, I'm coming!" It was Fred; he stood with his back to the enemy, taking their fire, and brushed Maisie's face with the end of his scarf. "You all right?"

"Yeah," said Maisie. "Let's get them!"

They flung themselves headlong at the enemy's fort. It broke under their combined weight, and they tumbled on top of Bryony and the others. Pippa squealed.

Everything was confusion. Maisie rolled over and over with someone in the snow, desperately trying to get on top and smash snow into their face. She hoped it wasn't one of her allies. Someone else crashed into her from behind, and she went face-first into the snow.

Maisie squirmed, flailing blindly behind her in attempts to dislodge her assailant. There was snow inside her coat and her boots. Her mittens were wet. She managed to roll over and smack Owen, who was on top of her, full across the face with her sopping mitten.

"Ow!" He recoiled, and Maisie seized the chance to kick him away and struggle to her feet.

Lee and the twins were standing back-to-back, charming snowballs to fly in all directions. Pippa was facedown in the snow, with her arms over her head to protect herself. Bryony was attempting to retaliate, but she kept getting hit in the face.

"All right, all right!" Jimmy put his hands in the air. "We surrender!"

"What's that?" Fred shouted. "We can't hear you!"

"You win!" said Owen. His face was bright red where Maisie had slapped him.

George lowered his wand. "Ah, sweet victory!"

"Well done!" Lee whooped and clapped Fred and Maisie on the back.

Jimmy shook hands with Lee and the twins. "Well fought, mates."

"Same to you," said Fred, grinning. "That was a brilliant bit of charms work, Jim. Snowballs that multiply every time they hit something!"

"Thanks." Jimmy grinned. "You gave me the idea this morning."

As they trooped back up to the castle, they passed Professor Quirrell heading in the opposite direction.

"Hello, Professor," said Bryony.

"H-h-hello, students."

When Quirrell was out of earshot, Fred whispered, "I have an idea." He crouched in the snow and quickly formed a snowball. "Georgie?"

"Good thinking, Freddie."

"What are you guys doing?" said Maisie. "Don't throw those at Quirrell. He's nice!"

"He's soft," said Fred scornfully. He drew his wand. "Ready, George?"

"Ready, Fred."

In unison, the twins said, " _Wingardium Leviosa_!" With a flick of their wands, they sent the snowballs flying after Quirrell. The first one hit him squarely in the back of the turban.

Quirrell whirled around, sputtering. "Wh-wh-why—you! S-s-students!"

"Run!" Fred seized Maisie's wrist and started running.

"Sorry, Professor!" Pippa called as George pulled her away.

They didn't stop running until they were in the entrance hall again, breathless and laughing.

"Why did we run?" said Maisie. "He knows who we are. He'll take points, or give us detention, or—"

"No, he won't." Fred laughed. "He's terrible with names."

"He's been calling me Whitby, and Fred Whithers, the whole semester." George clutched his side. "Oh, that was too much! I have a stitch."

"Whitby and Whithers?" said Jimmy. "But you guys are obviously twins…"

"I know!" Fred was laughing uproariously. "Poor bloke hardly knows which way's up!"

"That was brilliant," said Owen, "hitting him on the turban. Why does he wear that thing, anyway?"

"It smells odd," said Pippa. "Like garlic."

"Quirrell has a shady past," said Lee. "He had a nasty run-in with a vampire in Romania. I reckon the garlic's to keep the vampires off."

"Reckon it keeps the girls away, too," said George.

"Can you imagine Quirrell on a date?" Fred hunched over and did a wheezy impression of Quirrell's voice. "'Y-y-you l-look l-lo-lovely this evening, m-my dear!'"

"Mr. Weasley!" It was McGonagall, looking sterner than usual. "I will not have one of my students mocking a Hogwarts professor. Ten points from Gryffindor."

Lee, George, and Fred stared in dismay at Gryffindor's hourglass as a handful of red beads returned to the top bulb.

"Aw, c'mon, Professor!" said Lee. "It's all in good fun! Don't you want us to win the House Cup?"

"Of course I do, Mr. Jordan," said McGonagall. "But not at the cost of our House's dignity and reputation!" She swept away regally.

"McGonagall's terrifying," said Pippa. "I'm glad she's not my Head of House."

"Yeah, we lucked out," said Bryony. "Sprout's so nice!"

"Anybody fancy a snack?" said Jimmy. "It's ages until dinner!"

They tramped happily into the kitchens, and the house elves took their coats and insisted that they all sit down and drink hot cocoa. A quadrat of house elves brought a tea tray loaded with cakes and sandwiches.

"Thank you," said Pippa politely. She wasn't used to house elves.

"How's the term treating you guys?" said Fred.

"Pretty well," said Bryony. "Care of Magical Creatures is amazing! Are you taking it?"

"As if Charlie would let us skip out on it!" said Fred, but he was smiling.

"Kettleburn's a riot, isn't he?" said Lee. "Have you heard how he lost his right arm?"

"Yes, of course," said Maisie. "Has he told you the story of how he lost his left knee?"

"Only the knee?" Owen had opted not to take Care of Magical Creatures.

"Only the knee," Bryony confirmed.

"I love that story!" said George. "We'd heard it from Charlie, of course, but Kettleburn himself tells it much better!"

"How do you lose only a knee? The rest of his leg is still there, isn't it?" said Owen.

"Knee _cap_ is probably a better way to put it," said Pippa. "A dragon yearling bit him on the leg, and the kneecap came off. The rest of the leg is fine—"

"But now it bends both ways!" said George. "Watch him when he walks, and you'll see it. It's brilliant!"

Owen gaped while the others laughed.

"Speaking of classes," said Fred. "Mays, if you and Bry need topics for your Muggle Studies essays, our dad's got a whole shed of Muggle stuff."

"Thanks," said Maisie, "but Pippa's invited us to visit over Christmas."

"Really?" said Fred. "Going to the Muggle world on holiday?"

"We're quite excited, actually," said Bryony.

"Actually, I'm jealous," said Fred. "You'll tell us everything, yeah?"

"Of course!" said Maisie.

"It is true that Muggles have cold rooms in their homes?" said Jimmy.

"Cold rooms?" said Pippa, frowning. "What on earth-?"

"I think he means refrigerators, Pip," said Bryony. "That's how Muggles keep their food cold."

"But why does the food need to be cold?"

"It lasts longer that way." Pippa laughed. "Don't tell me wizards eat all their food before it goes bad!"

"You'll find the wizarding world's quite backwards in some ways, Pip," said George.

"I hope you're not too disappointed," said Maisie.

"Yes," said Pippa. "I have been deeply disappointed by the existence of the magical world. I've no idea how I'm going to cope." She managed to maintain her composure while the others laughed, but barely.


	18. Year 3: December 28, 1991

Maisie stood at a Muggle bus station, clutching her suitcase protectively. At least Bryony would already be on the bus, and it was only a three-hour journey to Pippa's house. Or so Pippa said.

Mum wasn't keen on Maisie spending four nights away from home, but Dad had talked her into it.

"She spends nine months out of the year away from home, at Hogwarts."

"Exactly! She's at school, and we never get to see her!" Mum shook her head. "Holidays are a time for family, Maisie. Besides, do you really want to spend time in the Muggle world?"

"I do, Mum!" said Maisie earnestly. "Muggle Studies is one of my favorite classes. And Pippa's mum invited us! It would be rude to say no!"

"She'll be perfectly safe, Lyra," Dad said.

"It's not that I think she won't be safe," Mum said. "It's just—"

"You don't want me spending time with Muggles?" said Maisie. "Mum, that's such an outdated way of thinking! Witch hunts are a thing of the past! Why, half the wizards in Great Britain have Muggle blood! Only pureblood snobs hate Muggles! Pippa's one of my best friends! Why—"

"All right, all right!" Mum raised her hands in defeat. "I'm sorry, Maisie, I really didn't mean it like that. I just want to spend as much time with you as I can. If you want to go, you can go."

Maisie calmed down immediately. "Great, Mum, thanks!"

The bus pulled up, belching black smoke and horrid smells, and Maisie began to question her decision. But the sight of Bryony's eager face in the window changed her mind again, and she felt only excitement. They were going to a Muggle house!

"How's the bus?" Maisie asked Bryony quietly once the bus started moving again.

"Boring," Bryony whispered. "Half the Muggles just slept. The bloke across the aisle was snoring earlier—no, don't look! Now he's reading a newspaper. But the pictures don't move! Can you believe it?"

Maisie risked a glance. The Muggle's newspaper was shockingly unmoving. She wanted desperately to get a closer look at it, but she didn't dare.

"I read the section on buses in our textbook last night," Bryony said. "Apparently, they drive the same route, all the time. What if somebody needs to go somewhere else? Do they just…walk?"

"No," said Maisie. "They take a car, don't they?" She glanced around. "We should stop talking like this. They'll think we're batty."

Instead, they talked about Christmas, and how stressed Oliver was about his schoolwork.

"It's no wonder," Bryony said. "I hear O.W.L.s are brutal."

"They can't be that bad," said Maisie. "Otherwise, everybody would drop out of school after fifth year."

"Can we?" said Bryony eagerly.

Maisie laughed. "Do you want to?"

"Maybe, if I can find a Quidditch team that wants me."

"You want to go professional?"

"Of course! Don't you?"

"I don't know," said Maisie. "I might. Not as a Beater, though. It's fun and all, but I really want to try playing Seeker before I decide to base my career on Quidditch."

"Fair enough," said Bryony. "Cedric's only a year older than us, though, and Watson won't replace him. You won't get your chance until seventh year."

When the bus pulled into the Canterbury station, Bryony and Maisie sprang to their feet. Clutching their bags, they shouldered their way through the crowd in the station until they reached the street.

"Do you think this is the right street?" said Bryony, looking around. "Were there multiple exits?"

"I don't know," said Maisie.

"There's Pippa! Thank Merlin."

Suddenly Pippa was there, beaming at them. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you! Hamish, get their bags."

"Hamish, you don't have to—" Maisie started, but he had already taken them. "All right, cheers."

Pippa led them to a small red car—that was all Maisie could confidently say about it—parked at the front of a long line of cars, presumably also there to pick people up at the bus station. Pippa crowded Bryony and Maisie into the backseat while Hamish loaded their bags into the boot.

Mrs. Bailey, who looked almost exactly like an older version of Pippa, turned around in the front seat to smile at them. "Hello, girls, and welcome! Buckle your seatbelts. Somebody else needs our spot!"

"What's a seatbelt?" said Bryony.

"Go on, Mum, and I'll get them sorted." Pippa reached across Bryony's lap and showed her the seatbelt.

Hamish clambered into the front seat, and they were off.

The car seemed very scary to Maisie. Every time they went over a bump, she gasped and clutched Pippa's hand.

"How is this scarier than flying a broom?" said Pippa, laughing.

"A broom you have control over!" Maisie said. "What if we hit something and the car just rolls over?"

"They don't often do that," said Mrs. Bailey soothingly. "Everything is very normal right now."

"This is normal?" said Maisie as another car blew by them, drawing very close and honking loudly.

"Yes," said Mrs. Bailey. "Unfortunately, many people drive like _utter arseholes_!" The last words she yelled out the window, though it seemed unlikely that the other driver could hear her.

"Relax," said Pippa. "Driving in the city's always bad, but it gets better the farther out you go. Our house is on a quiet little lane. You'll like it."

As promised, the Bailey house was far from the city hubbub. It was on a long, quiet street of similarly-sized houses. Maisie had never seen anything like it; most wizarding families lived in remote locations to avoid detection.

"It's called a subdivision," said Pippa when Maisie asked.

The evening was full of remarkable revelations. Maisie's parents owned a radio, but she'd never seen a television. The microwave was a marvel to her, and the refrigerator seemed miraculous.

Bryony stood in the open door of the refrigerator with her mouth wide open. "This is incredible!"

"Close the door, Bry, or you'll let all the cold air out," said Pippa.

"If I did," said Bryony, "where would it get more?"

Bryony and Maisie asked the Baileys avid questions all through dinner. Some of the questions made the Muggles laugh uproariously, like when Bryony asked how the people got into the television. As it turned out, some of the information in their Muggle Studies textbook was outdated or incorrect, or both.

"Sorry, maybe I misunderstood you," said Mrs. Bailey. "You have a _textbook_ about _Muggles_?"

"Yes," said Bryony. "Maisie and I are taking Muggle Studies. We wanted to know more about Pippa's life before Hogwarts."

Pippa laughed. "The wizards' perspective on Muggles is a little quaint, to say the least!"

"If you want to learn more about…us," said Mrs. Bailey, "you're welcome to borrow some books from the house. I think one of my college history textbooks is lying around here somewhere."

Bryony wrinkled her nose. "Our history class is boring."

"So were Muggle history classes," said Pippa.

But Mrs. Bailey said, "Oh, no, history is fascinating! I majored in history at university."

"What's majored?" said Bryony.

Muggle history, according to Mrs. Bailey, was focused on the monarchy, which neither Bryony nor Maisie knew much about. They were astonished to learn that the Queen had very little actual power these days.

"Then what's the point?" said Bryony. "Muggles have a Prime Minister, don't they? Why not just let him run things?"

"He basically does," said Mr. Bailey, "but the British are very big on tradition. We have one of the oldest surviving monarchies in the world, and we're very proud of that fact. Do you really not know?"

"I mean, I knew that we had a Queen, of course," said Maisie. "But I didn't know all that other stuff."

"Wizarding education seems to be lacking in fundamentals," said Mr. Bailey, a bit smugly.

After dinner, Maisie and Bryony sat down to watch television with the Baileys. They were fascinated by Muggle news reports, but the real entertainment came after the news: late-night game shows.

After one episode of _Jeopardy,_ Mr. and Mrs. Bailey said good night.

"Don't stay up too late, girls," said Mrs. Bailey. "We've got fun things to do tomorrow!"

"Ooh, what are we doing?" said Bryony. "What do Muggles do for fun?"

"We've got tickets to a rugby game on Saturday," said Pippa, "but tomorrow I thought we could go to the mall and the movies. I used to do that all the time with my friends before Hogwarts."

"What's a mall?" said Bryony, just as Maisie said, "What's the movies?"

"You'll see," said Pippa with a mysterious smile.


	19. Year 3: February 9, 1992

Maisie found Oliver in the library. It should've been the first place she looked, given his O.W.L.s stress, but she'd asked Lee to look in the Gryffindor common room first.

Oliver was hunched over his Potions textbook, his lips moving as he read. Maisie had never seen him look so frazzled; his hair stood on end, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"Merlin's trousers, Ollie, haven't you slept lately?"

Oliver started, knocking a textbook off the table and earning glares from other students. "Not much. Snape's killing me with these essays, Mouse. I may not survive the year."

"Sure you will," said Maisie bracingly. "I didn't realize you were having such a rotten time of it."

"Just wait until your fifth year, Mouse, you'll see." Oliver noticed what Maisie was holding. "Is that from Mum?"

"Yes, and it's addressed to both of us. I already read it; hope you don't mind."

Oliver unfolded the letter. Maisie noticed his eyes were bloodshot when they widened in response to the letter's contents. "Moving? Are they serious?"

"Apparently." Maisie made a helpless gesture.

"I knew Mum wasn't happy at work, but—"

"Really? I always assumed she loved her job. Otherwise, why would she work so much?"

Oliver shook his head. "Ah, Mays, you're so naïve."

"You called me Mays."

"What?" Oliver was distracted. "It'll be good for her to step back. But _farming_?"

"Dad's always loved his garden," said Maisie.

Oliver shook his head. "This is utterly batty. Am I dreaming?"

Maisie slapped him sharply across the face. Several people turned to stare.

"Ow!" Oliver clutched his cheek. "Maisie, what the hell?"

"You're not dreaming, or that would've woken you up, yeah?"

"I guess so." Oliver stared at her. "Who are you, and what have you done with my little Mouse?"

"There he is," said Maisie. "School's important, sure, but you have to sleep, Ollie."

"You don't understand. The O.W.L.s—"

"You'll fail all of them if you fall asleep during the exam," Maisie said. "You need to take care of yourself, Oliver. What will I tell Mum if you croak in the library?"

"That I died doing what I love," said Oliver solemnly. "Revising Potions."

"I'll leave this with you." Maisie indicated the letter. "You can reread it when you're not delirious. If work was as bad for Mum as you say, this all makes a lot more sense. And you'll never guess where they got a farm."

"You're right: I won't."

"Ottery St. Catchpole!" Maisie said.

Oliver stared at her blankly.

"Honestly, Ollie, do you ever talk to your teammates about anything besides Quidditch? That's where the Weasleys live! And Cedric Diggory!"

"Brilliant!" Oliver perked up. "I can talk strategy with the twins over the summer!"

"Yeah, I bet they'll love that." Maisie rolled her eyes. "I'll leave you to it. I meant it when I said take care of yourself, Ollie. I'll beat the shite out of you if you don't."

"That's a grim prospect," said Oliver, smiling.

As Maisie was leaving the library, she bumped into Owen, who was carrying a stack of books.

"Watch where you're going, Mays!"

"Sorry, Owen. What are all these for?" Maisie took half the stack, and they walked out together.

"Arithmancy. You made the right call not taking that class, Mays; it's brutal."

"Yeah, but you've got Patty to help you, don't you? She loves Arithmancy."

"She scares me," Owen said.

"You're not serious." Maisie chuckled. "You're scared of Patty?"

"She's intense," said Owen. "You know she's got every minute of her week scheduled?"

"Since we share a room, yeah, Owen, I did know that," said Maisie. "I think it's brilliant, actually. And she has fun stuff scheduled in there, too. Every Thursday we play Gobstones after dinner."

"Oh, well, I stand corrected," said Owen. "Patricia's super laid back. She plays Gobstones on Thursdays!"

"The Hogsmeade trips are on there, too," said Maisie. "Her Saturday's totally free this week."

"Speaking of Hogsmeade," said Owen, "are you going?"

"We're all going, aren't we?"

"Yeah, right, of course," said Owen. "You know Isaac asked Ruby Andrews to go with him?"

"What, like a date?" Maisie raised an eyebrow. "What did she say?"

"She said yes. And Angus is going with Deirdre Barry."

"They both have dates to Hogsmeade? Is that a thing people do?"

Owen looked embarrassed. "I guess so. There's a tea shop people like to go to…Madam Puddifoot's?"

"Oh, I've heard of that. Oliver says it's mawkish."

"So, you wouldn't want to go there?"

"Not on your life," said Maisie. "I'd rather go to Zonko's and Honeyduke's, as always. And we haven't been to the Shrieking Shack yet, have we? There never seems to be time."

"You want to go to the Shrieking Shack, then?"

"Well," Maisie faltered, "I'm not much into ghosts, myself. But Bryony and Pippa seemed keen, and of course the twins are dying to actually go inside the shack."

"Of course they are."

"Lee's more sensible. He says, we've all seen ghosts before, so why bother with the Shrieking Shack when we can talk to Nearly Headless Nick anytime we like?"

"Well, if the others go to the Shrieking Shack," said Owen, "maybe we could go to Honeydukes?"

"I'd imagine we'll all go to Honeydukes," said Maisie. "And if everyone's going to the Shack, of course I'll go, too. I want to see it."

"Right, right," said Owen. "So, we're all going as a group."

"Yeah," said Maisie. "How else would we go?"

"I don't know," said Owen. "Can you knock on the barrel? My hands are full." They'd reached the common room entrance.

Maisie knocked on the barrel _(Hel-ga Huff-le-puff_ ), and they were admitted into the common room.

"There you are!" Pippa sprang to her feet. "I need help with the Potions homework, Mays."

"Sure thing, Pip." Maisie gave the books back to Owen. He staggered away to join Patricia Stimpson in a secluded corner.

Potions was one of Maisie's best subjects, and she liked helping the others with it. She and Pippa worked through the homework together with Bryony and Jimmy.

"Cheers, Mays," said Jimmy after two hours. "It all makes sense now."

"Until next class, anyway," said Pippa.

"It's no problem," said Maisie. "But in return, Jimmy, I expect help with McGonagall's essays, yeah?"

"Of course! Anything for a friend."

At dinner that night, a paper crane fluttered across the Great Hall and landed on Maisie's pudding. She unfolded it carefully.

"It's a note from Lee."

Bryony and Pippa leaned in.

"He says they're going out to the Forest tonight. Meet in the courtyard at ten if you're in." Maisie crumpled the note, pointed her wand at it, and said, " _Incendio._ "

The note flared into ashes quickly, and Bryony said, "I'm game if you are."

"Not me this time." Pippa shook her head. "I'm never going in there again. Not after the spiders."

"Spiders?" said Owen. "You lot aren't going into the Forest again, are you?"

"Thinking about it," Bryony said. "Are you keen?"

"Am I?!"

Maisie looked over her shoulder. Lee and the twins were watching her. She nodded slowly, and all three broke into grins.

"All right," said Maisie. "Tonight, we go into the Forest."


	20. Year 3: March 8, 1992

Cedric Diggory sat next to Maisie at breakfast. He often did this before Quidditch matches "to promote team spirit," as he said.

"Hear we're going to be neighbors," said Cedric, bumping Maisie's shoulder.

Maisie's face grew warm. "Are we?"

"Yeah. My dad just wrote me. Your folks bought the farm nearest us."

"Oh, yeah," said Maisie. "We're moving out there this summer."

"You'll love it," said Cedric. "It's a cute old town, and the countryside is lovely. Great flying out there; you can go for miles without seeing a Muggle!"

"That sounds nice," said Maisie. "Oliver wants to practice Quidditch with the Weasleys over the summer."

Cedric laughed. "He would. We can, too, if you want, or all of us can play together. It doesn't need to be secretive."

"With Oliver, I think it does," said Maisie. "He takes his duties as Captain very seriously."

"Yes, I can tell," said Cedric. "The Gryffindor team's really good this year. Not that they were shabby last year."

"How could they be," said Maisie, "with the great Charlie Weasley on the team?"

Cedric chuckled. "Yeah, but he wasn't backed up by great Chasers. The girls they have now are good."

Bryony sat down on Maisie's other side. "Morning, Mays, Ced."

"Hey, Bryony," said Cedric. "Feeling all right?"

"Yeah," said Bryony, "but the adrenaline keeps me from enjoying breakfast."

"Make sure you get some protein in you, and you'll be fine," said Cedric.

Archie, Leah, and Callum joined them minutes later, and the team ate in near silence until Watson showed up, glowing with good news.

"Snape's refereeing today!"

"What?" said Leah. "Can he do that?"

"What's wrong with Hooch?" said Callum.

"Don't know," said Watson, "but it's good news for us, isn't it? Snape hates Gryffindor! No way he makes fair calls for them!"

"C'mon, Watson, that's hardly sporting," said Cedric.

Watson looked affronted. "Hardly sporting, am I? Is it 'sporting' for Potter to be on the team at all? He's only a bloody first year!"

"But he's on the team," said Cedric, "and we have to live with that. If Snape won't make fair calls, then it isn't a fair game. And what's the point if the game isn't fair?"

"Spoken like a true Hufflepuff," said Archie, clapping Cedric on the shoulder.

"Well, whether the game's fair or not," said Watson, "Snape's refereeing." He stormed off.

"Now he's mad," said Leah. "That's never good."

"I don't care if he is mad," said Cedric. "He's in the wrong."

"He's probably right about Snape, though," said Maisie. "No way Snape's fair to Gryffindor in this game."

Maisie and Watson turned out to be right. Snape was brutally unfair to Gryffindor, refusing to see Watson's unlawful hit to Oliver or a handful of jostles by Bryony and Callum. He awarded Hufflepuff numerous penalty shots that they didn't deserve. Archie, ever the fair player, made straightforward shots that Oliver saved easily.

Partway through the match, the Weasley twins converged on Maisie. She shied away, but Fred yelled:

"It's not you we're after, Wood!"

Maisie came closer, and George said, "This game is rubbish, isn't it?"

"Yeah!" said Maisie. "But what can we do?"

"This, for starters." George snagged a Bludger as it flew by and hit it directly at Snape.

"George, no!" Maisie said. "He'll just give us another penalty shot!"

That was exactly what happened, but Archie had no qualms about scoring this time.

Oliver and the twins cursed profusely. Lee Jordan shouted profanities into the microphone until Professor McGonagall took it away from him.

Despite Snape's best efforts, Harry Potter caught the Snitch after thirty minutes, and the match ended with a crushing defeat for Hufflepuff.

The Hufflepuff team landed near their goalposts, downcast.

"Well played, team," said Cedric.

Watson sighed. "There's no denying that Wood's put together a great team this year. Better luck against Slytherin, maybe."

Archie snorted. "Fat chance."

Maisie and Bryony caught up to the twins on the way back to the castle.

"Well played, you two," said Bryony.

"Thanks, Bry!" said Fred. "You were great."

"Takes a good flier to score on Oliver," George said.

"I can't believe you hit a Bludger at Snape, George!" Maisie smacked him on the arm. "That was incredibly stupid, you know that? You're lucky it was only a penalty shot!"

"Oh, no, it wasn't," said George.

"We have detention with Snape for a month," said Fred.

"Both of you?" said Maisie. "But it was George who took the shot!"

"Yeah, but Snape didn't know," said Fred.

"He can't tell us apart."

"Not many can."

"So he gave us both detention, just to be safe," said George. "It was well worth it, though, to see that foul git hit by a Bludger."

"Git or not, he's our Potions teacher," said Bryony. "It wouldn't hurt you to try and stay on his good side, at least until O.W.L.s."

"You're not already thinking about them, are you?" said Fred. "They're ages away!"

"It never hurts to plan ahead," said Bryony.

"Anyway," said George, "why shouldn't _he_ be trying to stay on _our_ good side?"

"Is Snape on anyone's good side?" said Maisie.

"Dunno," said Fred. "Dumbledore seems to like him well enough."

"He must see something in him," said Maisie.

"I've no idea what," said Bryony.

"He's very good at Potions," said Maisie.

"Ugh, Mays, don't defend him," said Fred. "He's an arsehole, and there's no way around it."

"I'm not defending him. He's an arsehole. But he has good qualities."

"Gross," said Fred.

They had reached the entrance hall, which was poorly lit because Peeves had taken to pelting people with candles in the corridors. (Maisie had seen the twins join him in this activity on more than one occasion.) The castle was darker than usual while they waited on a new shipment of candles.

"Good old Peeves," said George as he stumbled on a rug. "Keeping us in the dark."

"We're happier this way," said Fred. "They say ignorance is bliss."

"I'd rather be able to see," said Bryony, feeling her way down the corridor.

"Fancy a trip to the lake tomorrow?" said Fred. "It's nearly spring. The giant squid may be out and about."

"We're never going to see him!" said Maisie. "I'm not sure he's really in there."

"Oh, he's in there," said Fred. "Charlie told us."

"And if Charlie got to see the squid, we get to see the squid," said George. "No way Charlie beats us in this."

"What's the competition?" said Maisie. "Number of cephalopod acquaintances?"

"Yes," said Fred. "There's a lovely octopus in McGonagall's office. We're on first-name terms."

Bryony waved them away. "Off with you, crazy Gryffindors! We'll see you later."

"See you, neighbor," said Fred, and winked at Maisie before darting up the stairs.


	21. Year 3: June 6, 1992

Harry Potter was in the hospital wing, unconscious. Nobody officially knew why, but the rumors flew thick and fast: he'd defeated Lord Voldemort in the dungeons of the castle, defending a Philosopher's Stone which was apparently hidden there. Professor Quirrell had been killed in the process. Ron Weasley had played a giant game of chess.

Because of Harry's absence, Gryffindor was brutally defeated by Ravenclaw in the last Quidditch match of the season. Oliver valiantly defended his team's goalposts, but without a proper Seeker they were done for.

"Oliver really ought to keep reserve players," said Maisie as they walked back up to the castle, sweating in the early summer sun. "I'm shocked he doesn't. It's not like him not to plan ahead for this sort of thing."

"Well, he didn't find a Seeker until McGonagall spotted Harry," said Owen. "So who would he possibly trust to fly Seeker in Harry's absence?"

"One of the twins could've given it a shot. Or Angelina."

The end-of-term feast wasn't until Monday, but the Great Hall was already decked out in Slytherin colors, at Snape's insistence.

"I can't stand those colors," said Bryony.

"I quite like green," said Pippa, "but not that shade of green."

"It hurts my eyes," Maisie agreed. "And they're being so bloody smug about it!" She happened to make eye contact with Adrian Pucey at the Slytherin table; he gave her a cocky grin and a wink. Maisie shuddered.

"Let's talk about something else," said Owen. "Do you believe what people are saying about Harry Potter?"

"What, that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named infiltrated Hogwarts on the back of a professor's head and was taken down by a gang of first years?" Bryony snorted. "Of course not. It's blown out of proportion, like all rumors."

"But what about the Philosopher's Stone?" said Maisie. "I did some reading on it, and Dumbledore does know the guy who made it. Maybe he asked Dumbledore to protect it for him?"

"Why would he do that?" said Owen. "He needs it to live, doesn't he? To make the Elixir of Life or whatever it's called?"

"So maybe none of it's true," said Bryony. "None of it makes any sense. Why would they store such a valuable magical object at a school?"

"We can ask the twins," said Maisie. "Their brother is in the hospital, too. They must know something."

Maisie found the twins after lunch.

"Is your brother okay?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, he'll be fine," said George.

"He's tough," said Fred. "He is a Weasley, after all."

"Thanks for asking," said George.

"Hey, want to come visit him with us?" said Fred. "We were about to go up. We're bringing him Honeydukes candy." He held up a bulging sack. "There's stuff in here for Harry, too."

"But I don't know your brother."

"Not yet," said George, "but we're about to be neighbors, aren't we? You should introduce yourself."

"It's the neighborly thing to do," said Fred.

"Well, when you put it that way." Maisie laughed.

Ron Weasley and Harry Potter were the only patients in the hospital wing, but they were not alone. Although Harry was unconscious, he was surrounded by a pile of sweets and cards from well-wishers. A cluster of Gryffindor first-years was sitting with Ron, talking and eating candy.

"Hello, you lot," said George. "How's the wounded warrior?"

"Madam Pomfrey says I can leave tomorrow morning." Ron gestured to Maisie. "Who's this?"

"Ronnie!" said Fred. "Mind your manners in front of the lady!"

"Sorry," said Ron with his mouth full of chocolate.

"I'm Maisie. Oliver's my brother."

"Oh, right! Fred's mentioned you," said Ron. "Did you really almost catch the Snitch from Charlie?"

"I don't know if I'd say 'almost.' Your brother's a damn good Seeker. Why didn't he go professional?"

Ron shrugged.

"When he got the dragons job, that was it for him," said Fred. "He wouldn't have accepted an offer from the England national team."

"He'd rather spend time with Chinese Ridgebacks and Norwegian Fireballs," said George.

Maisie laughed. "It's Norwegian Ridgeback and Chinese Fireball and you know it."

Ron shifted uncomfortably.

"All right, Ron?" said a small black girl with an enormous cloud of hair.

"I'm fine, Hermione. Stop fussing!"

"How's Harry?" said Fred.

"He's hardly moved," said Hermione authoritatively. "Every now and then he mumbles, but he hasn't woken up. Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right, though."

"What happened?" said Maisie.

The Gryffindors all stared at her.

"Haven't you heard?" said a first-year in a thick Irish brogue. "I thought everybody knew."

"Well, I've heard rumors," Maisie said, "but there's no way they're true."

They only stared.

"You're joking," said Maisie. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was _here?_ In Hogwarts?"

"For months, apparently," said Fred.

"On the back of Professor Quirrell's head," said Ron.

"Oh my God." Maisie gasped. "Fred, do you remember that day when it snowed, and we had a snowball fight—and you and George charmed snowballs to hit the back of Quirrell's turban?"

George blanched.

"Holy shit," said Fred. "I hit the Dark Lord in the face with a snowball."

The first years laughed uproariously.

"I remember that!" said Ron, clutching his sides. "I can't believe it! That was You-Know-Who! And you snowballed him!"

"Like ten times!" said George. "I reckon he'll want his revenge."

"Nah," said Fred. "You need a body to exact revenge. And no way he sets foot in Hogwarts again, with Dumbledore and Harry around to fend him off."

"Was he really after the Philosopher's Stone?" said Maisie.

"Yeah," said Ron, wiping his eyes. "Harry was there the day Hagrid got the Stone out of Gringotts. Somebody broke into that vault the very next day—Quirrell, I guess. It was in the papers. That tipped Harry off that there was something really important in there."

"And we stumbled upon the hiding place accidentally," said Hermione, "on the third floor."

"You mean that corridor that's been off-limits?" Maisie shook her head. "So you guys have been playing detective all year."

"Hardly playing!" Hermione bristled. "We figured out there was somebody after the Stone, which none of the professors even suspected!"

"Yeah!" said Ron. "And we figured out how to get past all the professors' fancy traps, didn't we?"

"Speaking of," said Fred, "make sure to remember the chaps who taught you chess when you're big and famous, Ronnie."

"Yeah, all right," said Ron. "I'll be sure to thank you for enchanting the rooks to hit me on the head."

"Well, it obviously worked," said George. "Not many people could beat McGonagall at chess."

"McGonagall was waiting down there with a chessboard?" said Maisie.

"Obviously not," said Hermione. "It was a gigantic enchanted chessboard. It was quite scary, actually. Wizard chess is brutal."

"So you're Muggleborn?" said Maisie.

"Yes. How'd you know?"

"The way you talk about wizard chess. One of my best friends is the same way."

Hermione eyed Maisie appraisingly. Maisie wanted to squirm under such intense scrutiny, but she held her ground. She didn't need to be intimidated by this sharp first year.

"Blimey," said Fred, looking at the mess of candy wrappers on Ron's bed. "Have you been dipping into Harry's stash as well, Ronnie?"

Ron turned bright red. "It's not as if he's eating it!"

"But what about when he wakes up?" said George. "He'll be chuffed that you ate all his Chocolate Frogs. By the way, we brought you these." He emptied a sack of candy onto Ron's bed.

"How'd you get all this?" said Ron. "The last Hogsmeade weekend was weeks ago."

"We ration our sweets, little brother," said Fred.

"A lesson you'd be wise to learn. We brought this for Harry." George pulled a toilet seat out of the bag.

The first years recoiled. Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Maisie laughed once, like a bark. "What the hell, guys?"

Fred shrugged. "We thought it might cheer him up."

"Or he can use it to embellish his bedpan," said George.

"He could hang it on the wall," said Maisie. "With a bit of tinsel, it'd make a lovely Christmas wreath."

"Christmas isn't for six months." Fred chuckled.

"It's never too early to start celebrating," said Maisie.

The Gryffindor first years were giggling. Madam Pomfrey can bustling into the hospital wing.

"This is too much! Too many visitors, too much noise! Mr. Weasley needs his rest. Out, out!"

"Aw, c'mon, Madam Pomfrey!" said Ron. "It's so boring in here!"

"I'm sorry recuperation cannot entail constant entertainment, Mr. Weasley," said Madam Pomfrey. "If you want to be released tomorrow, you will do as I say."

"See you later, Ron," said George. "Rest up."

"We need you in peak condition when Mum sees you and loses it," said Fred.

Ron turned pale. "Do you reckon she'll be mad?"

"Mad that you risked squaring up against one of the most powerful Dark Wizards of all time?" said Fred.

"Nah, I reckon she'll be proud," said George.

"Teary-eyed with joy."

"Bloody hell," said Ron, sinking back into his pillows.

"Bye, Ronnie!" said the twins in singsong voices.

Maisie glanced at Harry's bed on her way out. She'd hardly gotten a look at the famous Harry Potter. The Potters had Indian ancestry, and it showed in Harry's brown skin and dark hair, which stood up every which way. The notorious scar was partially obscured by his messy hair, but it was still visible: forked like lightning, just as the stories said.

He looked very small, laying in the hospital bed. Maisie reminded herself that Ron was there, and Harry was not really alone. Still, a fist squeezed around her heart at the thought of that little boy facing the Dark Lord alone.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! This is the first book in what I think will be a series of 4, so keep an eye out for the second installment, "Just and Loyal."**


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